I Was Wrong
by amberissmiling
Summary: Brooke's attack was one of the most mishandled plotlines of a television story ever, as was Lucas calling Peyton. Everyone loved Brooke and would have been there for her, especially Lucas. This story is my patch for the mistakes made. Changed Rating to M.
1. Chapter 1

"She sounded odd," Peyton remarked as she got off the phone with Brooke.

"Is she okay?" Lucas asked, kissing his fiancé on the cheek. He felt a small tug of worry, but pushed it away.

"I think so," Peyton said with a sigh. "I know she's hurting. She loved Angie."

"Angie was a special girl," Lucas agreed, admitting to himself that he was going to miss the baby too. He'd spent quite a bit of time with Brooke and Angie; some of the most peaceful moments of this last month. He decided that he'd call later and check on Brooke himself as Peyton started talking about something else. Once again he found himself wondering if he'd made the right choice…but he'd made up his mind. It was fate, right? He'd wait an hour, then call.

Back in Tree Hill Brooke was lying in the darkness of her bedroom, curled into a ball. Every part of her body ached, but none of it as much as her heart. She'd lost Angie, she was fairly certain that her mother had her attacked, and now she'd found out that Lucas was with Peyton in Vegas and that they were getting married. She'd faced hard times before, but nothing like this; she felt as if her heart had literally shattered into a million pieces.

She'd thought about calling the police after the attack, but quickly decided against it. She didn't want anyone to know what her mother had done to her, and she didn't want to appear weak. She'd almost called Haley, but Haley was dealing with her own issues right now and Brooke didn't want to burden her. Up until tonight she would have gone to Peyton or Lucas with this…but that wasn't an option right now. They were finally together and happy; she couldn't do anything to get in the way of that.

Her phone rang again and she again ignored it. Lucas had been calling her for a while, but she couldn't talk to him right now. If she answered the phone she'd just start crying. If she started crying he would pack Peyton up and come home. She didn't want to do that to them. She could handle this alone…she wasn't Peyton, and she didn't need saving.

Lucas paced his hotel bathroom, rubbing the back of his head. He'd sent Brooke several text messages and called her ten times. She wasn't responding to either. When Peyton had said she sounded odd, Lucas had assumed it was because of losing Angie…and maybe because he and Peyton were together. He was worried that he'd hurt her, and he'd promised to never do that again. But Brooke had gone out of her way lately to make sure he knew she wasn't interested. At least that's what he'd thought she was doing. When it came to Brooke, he never really knew what was going on.

Giving up, he dialed Nathan's number. "Hey," Nathan said, smiling into the phone. "A little bird told me that you're getting hitched in Vegas. To Peyton."

Lucas laughed a little. "Yeah, it seems that way," he said, sitting on the sink.

"You sound excited," Nathan joked. When he'd heard about Peyton and Lucas being together in Vegas, he'd been a little disappointed; he'd always thought Brooke was the one for Lucas. He wasn't sure if Lucas knew it or not, but from his tone it seemed that he was a little disappointed, too.

"No, man, I am," Lucas said. He could imagine Nathan rolling his eyes. "Hey, listen, I'm calling about Brooke."

"Changed your mind already?" Nathan teased, grinning.

Lucas smiled, shaking his head. "This is important, Nate."

"Okay, what about her?"

"I'm worried about her," Lucas told his brother. "She's not answering her phone and she's had a really bad day. She called Peyton earlier and sounded sort of odd."

"She lost Angie today," Nathan reminded him. He didn't mention the fact that she'd lost Lucas too, but they were both thinking it.

"I know, and that's one of the reasons I'm worried." Lucas cursed himself again for leaving town when Brooke needed him the most. Why would he do that?

"You want me to call her?"

"She's not answering for me but you could try," Lucas said. "Is there any way you could go by and check on her?"

Nathan sighed. He'd had a long day and was looking forward to getting home to be with Haley and Jamie. "Yeah," he said, thinking about the girl in question. He'd do anything for Brooke; they'd been friends for a long time.

Lucas breathed out a sound of relief. "Thanks," he told Nathan. "Call me after you've talked to her, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Nathan said, hanging up. He called Haley and let her know what was going on, then turned around and headed to Brooke's house. He saw her car in the driveway and figured she was home. The windows were dark, though, and she didn't answer when he knocked.

Worried but telling himself that everything was okay, Nathan pulled out the key Brooke had given him and Haley and opened the door. "Brooke?" he said, walking into the house. "Are you home?"

Brooke sat quietly on her bed, afraid to move. She knew that if she made noise he might come into the room and find her. No one could see her like this- that would be a disaster.

Nathan walked through the dark house, looking for any signs of a problem. He shrugged, turning. He'd made it back to the door when he heard her phone ring.

Brooke almost cried out. _Dammit, Lucas! _Why couldn't he just leave her alone? Why hadn't she reached over to turn the stupid phone off? Because it hurt to move, and because the fact that he kept calling her let her believe that he still cared. _And_ because she'd had no idea Nathan would come over.

"Brooke?" Nathan said from the doorway of her bedroom. He saw her, curled into a ball in the center of the bed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Brooke said quietly, praying he didn't turn on the light. "I'm just really tired."

"So tired that you can't answer your phone or me when I was calling out your name?"

"Yeah," she said, still not moving. "That tired."

Nathan looked at her still form for a moment. Something seemed off. "Do you need anything?" he asked her.

"No, thanks," she said.

He'd been dismissed but he didn't want to leave. He didn't know what to do; he thought that maybe he should call Haley. "I guess I'll go then."

"Okay," she said softly. "Thanks for checking on me." Tears leaked out of her eyes, and she was glad he couldn't see them. Nathan cared. Haley cared. Peyton and Lucas, they both cared. She wasn't worthless…she was loved. As he turned away she almost opened her mouth to call him back, but she couldn't.

Nathan walked towards the bathroom, still not wanting to leave. He shut the door and texted Lucas. _Brooke is here, but something's wrong._

_What is it? What's wrong? _was Lucas's reply.

Nathan shook his head, unsure what to write. _I'm not sure. The lights are all off and she didn't get out of bed when I called for her. She says she's just tired._

Lucas stared at his phone. So she was okay? Something still felt wrong. _That's not like Brooke._

_ I know, man. Should I call Haley?_

Lucas groaned. He should be there. It should be him in Brooke's house checking on her, not Nathan. _If she says she's fine, she probably is. Are you leaving?_

Nathan looked around the bathroom. _I guess._

Both brothers frowned. _Thanks, Nate, for checking on her. _

_ No problem. _Nathan put his phone up, going to the sink to wash his hands. He really didn't want to leave while Brooke was acting so strangely, but he didn't know what else to do. He reached for the towel she kept by the sink to dry his hands but it wasn't there. He looked on the floor by the sink and found it. Picking it up, he opened it to dry his hands and then dropped it, falling back against the door. It was covered with blood.

"Oh God," he said, breathing heavily. He pushed the towel over with his foot, picking up the shirt lying under it. "Brooke," he breathed, holding the ripped and bloody fabric up to the light. He flipped open his phone, dialing Lucas's number.

"Hey!" Peyton said cheerfully, picking up the phone Lucas had dropped on the bed.

"I need Luke, Peyton," Nathan said.

"Okay," Peyton said, frowning. She looked over to where Lucas was standing by the window, staring out into the darkness. "Lucas, it's Nathan. I think something's wrong."

Lucas walked quickly to the bed, taking the phone. "What happened?" he asked, fear making his voice hoarse. "Is she okay?"

"I don't know what happened, Luke, but you need to get here," Nathan said lowly, his voice shaking. "Get home."

"We're coming," Lucas said. "Tell her we're coming." Peyton jumped up from the bed, not sure what was going on but understanding the urgency in Lucas's voice. She started throwing their things into their bags. "Take care of her, Nate."

Nathan nodded, closing his phone. He honestly didn't know what to do. Steeling himself, he walked back into the hallway. "Brooke," he said, standing in the doorway and reaching for the light switch.

"Don't, Nathan," Brooke said.

The pain in her voice broke his heart. "I'm turning on the light," he told her.

"Please don't."

Nathan flipped the switch, blinking against the sudden flood of brightness. When his eyes had adjusted, he moaned. "No, Brooke," he said, walking to the bed. "Who did this to you?"

"I fell down the steps," she said, looking up at him through swollen eyes. "It was an accident."

He didn't believe that for a second. He could see fingerprints on her neck. He thought about picking her up and carrying her to his car, but he was afraid to move her. He'd never seen anyone so broken looking in his life. "I'm calling an ambulance," he told her.

"No!" Brooke cried. "I'm fine."

Nathan kneeled beside the bed, looking at her battered face. He realized that the whole time they'd been talking she hadn't moved. "Nothing about this is fine," he said, dialing 911.

"Please don't," Brooke pleaded, but he didn't listen.

When he'd been told that help was on the way he texted Haley and told her to meet him at the hospital. He opened the door for the emergency personnel when they arrived and followed them into her room. He flinched every time she cried out as they loaded her onto the gurney. "Nate," she cried, her hand searching for his as they started rolling her out of the house. He took it, following them. After they'd loaded her, he jumped into the back of the ambulance and took her hand again.

"You're going to be okay," he promised her. "Everything is going to be okay."

When they got to the hospital Haley was waiting. Nathan watched as Brooke was rolled into the emergency room, and then hugged his wife tightly. "What's going on?" Haley asked him, frightened.

"I don't know," he told her.

"Was that Brooke?"

"Yeah," he said, pulling back. "Someone attacked her, Hales."

Haley gasped, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. "Is she okay?"

"I hope so," he told her. "I talked to Lucas, told him to come back."

"I guess he was right to be worried," Haley said. "Who would hurt Brooke?" she asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"It's bad," Nathan told her, rubbing his face with his hands. "I've never seen anything like it."

Haley looked up at his tear streaked face and disheveled hair. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know," he told her again. He looked around. "Where's Jamie?"

"With Deb," she told him. "He's fine."

Nathan wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her shoulder, picturing Brooke's bruised and broken body. He prayed that after this they could all be fine again…he just didn't know if it was possible.


	2. Chapter 2

Lucas hadn't said much to Peyton on the way back to Tree Hill. After telling her that something had happened to Brooke and they had to get back as soon as possible, he'd slipped into a silence that she was afraid to break. Peyton worried about Brooke, but she couldn't help that a small part of her was worried about her and Lucas too. She didn't know what would be considered normal in a situation like this, but the fact that he hadn't talked to her at all didn't bode well.

"Luke, do you want to talk about it?" she asked tentatively.

Lucas shook his head. "I shouldn't have left her."

His words hit her hard. "Brooke?"

"Yeah," he said, shifting in his seat and looking at Peyton. "She just lost Angie and she's going through so much with Victoria…she needed us, Peyton."

Peyton nodded and bit her lip. "I didn't even think about it," she told him honestly. "I was so happy that we were finally going to be together that that's all I thought about."

"It's my fault," he said, taking her hand. "I'm the one that called you. I should have thought about the timing, planned it a little better."

"You couldn't have known something like this would happen," she said.

Lucas winced. "Even without the attack, I should have known better. Brooke is always there for us. We should have been there for her."

Peyton nodded. "We'll be there for her now." Lucas smiled sadly and looked back out the window. "What?" she asked him softly. "What is it?"

"Nathan was really shook up the last time I talked to him," Lucas said, not looking at her.

"Why?" Peyton asked, shocked.

"It's bad," he told her. He glanced at her, and then looked back out the window, unable to meet her eyes. "Brooke's in bad shape."

Peyton took a deep breath. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked after a moment.

"Because I didn't know if I could say it out loud or not," he told her. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the window. Every time he thought about Brooke lying broken in a hospital bed he felt as if his heart was ripping apart. Nathan had updated him on her condition, and when his brother had broken down into tears Lucas had had to block out the rest of what the man was saying. He would take care of her when he got there; until then, he was going to try to keep the images in his head from making him crazy.

"Who could have done this?" Peyton wondered aloud, still horrified at the idea of anyone attacking her best friend.

"She hasn't talked to the police yet," he said. "She hasn't talked to anyone."

"Maybe she'll talk to me," Peyton said.

"I hope so," he said, squeezing her hand.

"Will we be able to see her?"

"Nathan said that she can have one visitor at a time."

Peyton heard a hint of something in his voice. "You can go in first," she told him.

Lucas's eyes quickly rose to meet hers. "What?"

"I know how worried you are, Luke. You can go in first while I talk to Nathan and Haley."

Lucas shook his head. "Peyton…"

Peyton smiled brightly. "No, it's okay. I'm sure she'll want to see you."

"She'll want to see you, too."

"And she will," Peyton told him. She kissed his cheek. "I know that you're blaming yourself, even though this isn't your fault. And I know that you're going to keep doing it until you can assure yourself that she's okay. So I want you to see her first."

Lucas nodded. "I do love you, you know."

"I know," she told him, still smiling. She hoped he didn't see the lie in her eyes.

When they finally reached the hospital, they went to the room Nathan had told them Brooke was in. "Lucas!" Haley said, running to him.

Lucas caught her and hugged her tightly. "Haley," he said, closing his eyes. "How is she?"

Haley pulled back and wiped a tear from her face. "She's going to be okay. You know how tough Brooke is."

Lucas nodded grimly. "Nathan in with her?"

Haley nodded. "I just came out."

"I'm going to go in," Lucas told her.

Haley wrapped her arm around Peyton. "Luke," she called, stopping him. He turned to look at her. "She's going to be okay. Just remember that, okay?"

"Does she look that bad?" Peyton asked as he left, choked.

Haley ran her hand through her hair. "I couldn't even tell it was Brooke," she said finally.

Peyton took several deep breaths. Haley led her over to some chairs and sat down, pulling Peyton down too. "Lucas and I are here, if you two need to go get Jamie," Peyton told her when she'd calmed down a little.

Haley shook her head. "We're okay for right now. I don't think I could make Nathan leave, even if I wanted to. Mouth almost had to carry Millie out."

"Have there been a lot of people here?" Peyton asked.

"You know how things go in Tree Hill; news travels fast," Haley said, nodding. "And everyone loves Brooke."

"That's why I can't believe this happened to her," Peyton said. "Has anyone found out anything about the attack?"

Haley shook her head. "No."

"Maybe Lucas can."

Lucas walked into Brooke's room, shutting the door quietly behind him. "Hey," he said to Nathan, who was sitting beside the bed with his head in his hands.

"Lucas," Nathan said, getting up and walking to his brother. Nathan hugged him, but Lucas's eyes were on the bed. In the dark room he couldn't see her, but he could almost feel her pain from where he was standing.

"Thank you," Lucas told the other man.

Nathan shook his head. "I keep telling myself that I should have done something to stop this, but then I remember that I have no idea what happened." His fists tightened at his sides. "When I find out who did this, I'll kill him."

"There's a line for that," Lucas told him.

Nathan nodded. "I'll leave you two," he said. "I don't think she's awake, but I've been talking to her anyway."

Lucas nodded and watched Nathan leave the room. He took a deep breath and walked to the bed. In the soft glow of the dimmed bedside light he saw her face. "Brooke," he said quietly, doubling over slightly as if he'd been struck. "Oh, baby, what did he do to you?"

Brooke's eyes opened slightly. "Lucas?"

"I'm here," he said, taking her hand. "I'm here, pretty girl."

His words struck a chord deep within her, mending something that had been broken. "I didn't want you to come," she said. "I didn't want to get in the way of your time with Peyton." Lucas shook his head, his eyes moving down her face and to the visible bruises on her neck and arms. He swallowed, unable to respond. "Luke?"

He wanted to kill someone. He wanted to scream, to destroy something. That any man dared put his hands on her like this, to hurt her like this, filled him with a rage he'd never known. "Are you okay?" he asked brokenly, not trying to hide his tears. "Are you going to be okay, Brooke?"

"I'm better now that you're here," she told him, lightly squeezing his hand. "Lay with me?"

"I don't want to hurt you."

"It's going to hurt anyway."

Lucas nodded. He understood…and he needed to hold her. He needed to put his arms around her and shield her from the rest of the world. He wanted to protect her from what had already happened. He slowly lowered himself onto the bed, moving around the monitors and cords surrounding her. She gingerly lifted her head and he put his arm under it.

"What happened?" he asked her softly, looking into her eyes. "Who did this?"

"I don't know," she told him. "I was at the store and he came in so fast…" her breathing became labored and she closed her eyes. "And then he was on top of me, hitting me and screaming at me."

"It's okay," he told her, gently moving her hair from her face. "He won't hurt you again."

She looked at him. "Promise?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"I promise," he told her fiercely. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you again."

Brooke sighed. "But I'm not yours to protect."

Lucas shook his head. "No matter where either of us are or who we're with, you'll always be mine, Brooke," he told her softly.

Shocked, she looked into his eyes. "Luke, you shouldn't say things like that."

He made a face. "I know that to you I'm like a friend or a brother, and maybe that's all I was ever supposed to be. But no matter what I am to you, I'm going to protect you. You're important to me."

Brooke remained silent, not knowing what to say. He thought she looked at him as a brother? She must be a better actress than she'd ever given herself credit for. They sat quietly together, each lost in their own thoughts, until Peyton knocked lightly on the door.

She inwardly flinched at the sight of Lucas holding Brooke, but she pushed the worry back. Now wasn't the time to think about things like that. "Hey," she said softly, coming into the room. "I didn't mean to cut in on your time," she told Lucas. "I just had to see her."

"I'm sorry," Lucas said, motioning her towards the bed. "I knew you needed to see her, I just forgot."

Peyton walked over to the bed and looked at her friend. "Brooke," she said, her voice shaking. Haley had been right; she looked nothing like herself. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry, Peyton," Brooke told her, wincing as she moved her head to look up at her friend. "I didn't want you guys to come back for this."

Peyton took Brooke's hand, still looking at the marks on her body. "Brooke…who did this to you?"

"I don't know," Brooke said. "I never saw his face."

Lucas kissed Brooke's forehead lightly. "I'll let you guys talk for a few minutes," he said. "If you need me, just call for me."

Peyton and Brooke watched as he left the room. "Did you guys get married?" Brooke asked.

Peyton shook her head, sitting beside the bed. "No, we were going to go later."

Brooke sighed. "I'm so sorry, Peyton. I know you finally got what you've always wanted and I ruined it."

"No, Brooke," Peyton told her. "This is not your fault. And Lucas and I can get married here, with our friends and family. After you're better, of course." She smiled. "I can't have my maid of honor looking like she went three rounds with Mike Tyson."

"I'm going to ignore that insult because you asked me to be your maid of honor," Brooke told her, her eyes closing.

"We'll find out who did this," Peyton promised her. "And he'll pay."

Brooke nodded slightly, her entire body still sending shocks of agony to her brain. "I know I didn't want to tell you guys…but I'm glad you're all here."

"We love you," Peyton told her. "Everyone does."

"Except Victoria," Brooke said bitterly.

"Even Victoria," Peyton told her, though she actually doubted it. That's not what Brooke needed to hear right now.

They talked for a few moments longer and Brooke drifted off to sleep. Peyton stood and went to the bathroom, shutting the door before she began sobbing. It physically hurt her to see Brooke this way. And she was mad…oh Lord, she was mad. Whoever did this to her friend was going to pay.

She washed her face and walked quietly through the room, opening the door to find Lucas, Haley and Nathan sitting in the chairs across from it. "How is she?" Haley asked.

"She's sleeping," Peyton told them, going to Lucas as he stood and held his hands out. He hugged her tightly.

"You two must be exhausted," Haley told them. "You can go home and get some rest. We'll stay here with her."

"Thanks," Peyton said at the same time Lucas said, "We're staying."

Lucas looked at her. "If you're tired, why don't you go home and get a little rest?"

"I don't want to leave you here," Peyton told him, knowing her argument was useless.

"I'll be fine," he told her. "I wouldn't be able to rest if I left anyway."

"Luke, if you're going to stay we'll leave and pick up Jamie," Haley said. Nathan started to protest and she shook her head. "We're exhausted too, Nathan," she told him.

Nathan sighed. "Peyton, why don't you just stay with us? It might be safer," he told her.

"Okay," Peyton said, looking back up at Lucas. "Try to get some rest, okay?"

Lucas nodded, kissing her. "I love you," he told her.

She smiled. "I love you, too," she said. She meant it with all her heart…a heart that was beginning to worry.

"Call us if anything changes," Nathan told Lucas.

"Will do," he told his brother. "Take care of Peyton."

Nathan nodded. "We will."

Lucas watched them leave, then went back into Brooke's room. Since she was sleeping, he sat beside the bed and watched her. He could barely tell it was Brooke when her eyes were closed; her face was so swollen and discolored she could have been anyone. But she _wasn't _anyone. She was Brooke…_his_ Brooke. "I shouldn't have left you," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

As the sun rose, he continued to watch her, his lids growing heavy. Eventually his head fell back and he was asleep. He didn't dream, and he didn't rest; even in his sleep he was uneasy. When Brooke cried out, his head jerked up and he stood, ready to protect her. He'd been out longer than he'd thought; the sun was now up.

After a cursory look, he discovered that no one was in the room and Brooke was still asleep. She was obviously having a nightmare, and her cries pierced his heart. "Brooke," he said softly, sitting on the bed beside her. "Wake up."

Pulling back away from his voice, Brooke huddled against the rail on the hospital bed. Even in her sleep, she was frightened. "Brooke, please," he said, touching her shoulder lightly.

Brooke cried out again, her eyes finally opening. "Lucas?" she asked, breathing hard.

"It's me," he told her. "You were having a nightmare."

Her body seemed to relax as she put her hand over his on her shoulder. "Sorry," she said, seemingly embarrassed.

Lucas shook his head. "You don't have to be sorry," he told her. "You have reason to be scared." He sat on the edge of the bed. "But not when I'm here. I've got you."

Brooke wanted him to have her. She wanted Lucas to stand in front of her and protect her from the world. But she was stronger than that; she had to know she was able to protect herself. "I can't be weak, Luke," she said. "I can't be scared."

"Amazing," Lucas said, watching her with a frown.

"What?" she asked, sitting up a little.

"You're already pulling away from me."

"I'm not pulling away from you," she said defensively. "All my life, I've only had one person I could really count on, and that's me." She shrugged lightly, then winced at the pain the movement caused her. "That's not going to change now."

"You have me, Brooke. You have Peyton, too. And Haley and Nathan, Mouth, Mille…we're all here for you."

Brooke looked away from him. "Peyton has you, Lucas. And you have her. Nathan and Haley have each other and so do Mouth and Millie." She looked back towards him. "I have me."

Lucas shook his head. "Look at me," he told her. Brooke lifted her eyes, meeting his. "You have me, Brooke," he told her again. "I'm going to be here for you."

"I know you believe that now," she said softly. "But you've said it before."

Lucas made a face. "I've always tried to be here for you," he told her. "You always push me away."

"Maybe," she said tiredly.

"There's no maybe," he said. "It's the truth. At Haley's and Nathan's wedding, you asked me why I never let you all the way in."

Brooke closed her eyes and put her head down on the pillow. "That was so long ago," she told him. "There's no point in discussing it now." And it had been long ago…but the pain of that day was still with her. She remembered her anger with Peyton and the sadness she felt when she'd realized she was going to have to give Lucas up- again. It hadn't been fair then, and it didn't feel fair now.

"There is," he said. "You said I never let you in, but that wasn't true. You were the one that kept things locked in, Brooke. You were the one that never let me all the way in." Brooke shook her head, opening her eyes to look up at him. "I felt it from that moment. You were never going to let me in again." He sighed. "And you haven't."

"We've been friends," she told him. "You helped me with Angie."

"It's not the same thing," he said, frustrated. He rubbed his face with his hand. "I'm sorry," he said after a moment. "Now isn't the time for this."

"There will never be a time for this, Luke," she said quietly. "It's done. You're marrying Peyton and she's my best friend. I'm going to be happy for you both and I'm going to keep doing what I've always done; look out for myself."

"We'll make time for it," he told her, unwilling to let it go.

She closed her eyes again. "Did the nurse say when I can go home?"

"She said probably later today, but the doctor isn't happy about it. He wanted you to stay for another night."

"I know he did, but I don't want to. I want to be home."

Lucas nodded. "Whenever I've been in here, all I thought about was getting to go home."

Brooke smiled slightly. "We've spent too much time here," she said. "All of us have."

That was definitely true. "I know that you probably want to be alone, but Peyton and I will be there."

"No," Brooke said, looking up at him sharply. "No, that's fine. She can go stay at your house or something."

"We're not going to leave you alone, Brooke," he said firmly.

The idea of Lucas and Peyton sharing a bed in her house made her feel sick. "You can't," she told him. "Please, Luke? Just go home?"

Lucas stared up at the ceiling, shaking his head. "I want to be around in case you need me," he told her.

"I'll be fine," she told him. "Please don't stay over."

He looked back down at her. "You don't want me around at all?" he asked, wounded. "Honestly?"

Brooke realized that she'd hurt his feelings. "I do want you around," she told him. "But I think you and Peyton should start staying together, don't you? You're going to be married, after all. And you shouldn't both stay at my house because I'm sure you'll need your privacy, spend some time getting to know one another again- all of that stuff."

"The last thing I'm worried about is my privacy," he told her, confused. "Peyton and I have plenty of time to be together. But we don't know who attacked you or whether or not he knows where you live. You need someone there to protect you."

Brooke felt a chill race down her spine as she realized that the man who'd hurt her could find her and do it again. "Oh God," she said, putting her hand over her mouth. "Do you think he'll come back?"

Lucas realized his mistake. "I'm sorry," he told her, gently wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. "I didn't think about what I was saying."

"But it's true," she said. "He could come to the house." She looked up at him. "You should take Peyton home with you. I don't want her getting hurt."

"Brooke," Lucas said, sighing. "I don't want either of you getting hurt. That's why I want to stay." He propped his chin on her head. "I'll sleep on the couch and make sure no one comes in. That way you'll both be safe."

Brooke almost sighed with relief. On the couch? She could handle that. "Okay," she told him, already feeling safer. "But just until it's safe."

He smiled, though she couldn't see it. "Just until it's safe."

Brooke thought about Victoria. The man who had attacked her had taken her sketches, so maybe she was already safe. But who knew what else Victoria might want? And what kind of mother did she have, that she could think these things were even possible? She knew the answer to that, though: a mother who didn't love her daughter. "Thank you," she said after a moment. "I know it can't be easy to love me."

Lucas pulled away and looked at her. "The hardest thing I've ever done in my life was trying _not_ to love you," he told her, looking into her eyes. "I've never known anyone more universally loved than you, Brooke."

Brooke smiled a little, her gaze holding his. "You always say the right thing," she said.

"Not always," he said, his finger brushing lightly against her bruised cheek.

Peyton walked quietly into the room, afraid that she'd wake them. She saw them on the bed, Lucas whispering something to Brooke and caressing her face. She stood frozen, unsure of whether or not to move. She moved backwards slowly, then silently closed the door. She stood on the other side of it for a moment, trying to catch her breath. Of course Lucas loved Brooke; they'd been friends for as long as he and Peyton had. And Brooke was hurt. She needed comfort.

Peyton thought back to all of the times Lucas had comforted her and she felt a tug on her heart. No matter how much she loved Brooke and understood her friends need for help, she didn't want Lucas to be the one to give it to her. She was ashamed by her selfishness, especially when she thought about how Brooke had always volunteered Lucas to help Peyton in the past, only to have them hurt her in the end.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked lightly on the door to let them know she was there. When she walked in, she pasted a smile on her face. "Hey!"

Lucas's hand had dropped but he didn't move from the bed. "Hey Peyton," he said, smiling at her.

"Peyton," Brooke said, also smiling. Brooke held out her hand and Peyton walked towards the bed, sitting on the edge of it. She felt like she must have been overreacting; Brooke and Lucas acted as if they had nothing to hide, and Peyton felt guilty for believing for a second otherwise.

"How are you Brooke?"

"Wanting to go home," Brooke told her.

"When do you get to leave?"

"The doctor wants her to stay for another night so he can monitor her, but she refuses," Lucas told Peyton. "You know Brooke."

Peyton smiled a little. She did know Brooke. "Maybe you should stay, Brooke."

"I'll be fine," Brooke assured her. "I just need to get home."

"I asked her if it was okay for me to stay at the house," Lucas told Peyton. "Until we find out who attacked her, I don't want to take a chance on either of you getting hurt."

Peyton nodded. "I was going to suggest that," she said. Now that she had Lucas back, spending time away from him was harder than she'd imagined it would be.

"Do you think he might show up at the house?" Brooke asked her.

Peyton shrugged. "Nathan and I discussed it last night. If the attack was just robbery, then he probably won't. If there was something else behind it, I'm not so sure."

Brooke automatically reached for Lucas's hand; in the past month, she'd reached for it more and more. And it had always been there. Rocking Angie, cooking something to eat, working on sketches…Lucas had been there with her, working beside her. Now he took her hand, squeezing it. It was as natural as breathing, and neither of them noticed the look that briefly crossed Peyton's face as she realized that. "The police will be here in a few minutes," Brooke told them. "Maybe they know more."

"We'll figure it out," Lucas told her. Brooke smiled at him, nodding.


	3. Chapter 3

"You're not serious?" Peyton asked Lucas that night.

He frowned. "Why wouldn't I be?" he asked, confused.

"On the couch?" Peyton asked him. After the day they'd had, all she wanted was to fall asleep with his arms around her. She _needed _that.

"Someone might try to break in. I'll be better able to hear it if I'm on the couch," he said, still not understanding why she was upset.

Peyton dropped onto the bed, sitting at the end of it. "I just wanted to be close to you," she said, sighing.

Lucas nodded, finally getting it. "I'm sorry," he told her, kissing her on the forehead. "I know none of this is how we planned it."

"It's okay," Peyton said, trying to smile. "I understand."

"Brooke is asleep," Lucas told her, picking up his blanket and pillow. "She didn't want to take the pain medication the doctor gave her, but I finally convinced her."

It took everything Peyton had to not cross her arms and pout. Of course he'd convinced her. They'd suddenly become best friends. Lucas looked at her and frowned. "Now what?"

"What?" Peyton asked innocently.

"Why are you upset now?"

"I'm not upset," she lied.

"Peyton," he said, looking at her. "What is it?"

"I guess I didn't realize how close you two had gotten," Peyton admitted.

"Me and Brooke?" he asked, surprised. She nodded. "We've gotten a lot closer since she moved back. She's been here for me when I needed her, and I've tried to do the same. She and Lindsay were friends, too."

Peyton flinched at the name. "And I was the evil ex girlfriend who did everything she could to destroy your relationship," she said. It was true. Brooke had welcomed Lindsay with open arms, happy for Lucas because he was happy. Peyton had done everything she could to drive the two apart, certain that he would never be happy unless he was with her. "I'm sorry," she said again. It embarrassed her to think about the way she'd behaved.

"I guess it wasn't meant to be," Lucas told her. In truth, he'd loved Lindsay. He would have been happy married to her, and tried his best to make sure she was happy too. He'd known that Brooke would never be his again, and if finding what happiness he could with Lindsay was the next best thing, he'd take it. Lindsay had given up on him, though. She'd called and told him she'd still loved him, but by then he'd known it wouldn't work.

He left the room and Peyton sat on the bed for a while, thinking about all of the mistakes she'd made in the past year. Everyone had forgiven her, even Lindsay. As she lay down, she wondered if it should have been that easy.

Lucas put the blanket and pillow on the couch and walked quietly into Brooke's room. Her even breathing told him that she was asleep, so he just stood and watched her for a few minutes. The light from the hallway fell on her face and he again felt the tightening of rage in his gut. The police had no suspects and no clues. No one seemed to have any reason to hurt Brooke Davis but here she was, battered and bruised.

She was hiding something. Over the years, she'd become good at keeping things from people, but she couldn't hide it from him. He knew her too well. He believed she had an idea of who had hurt her, and he couldn't understand why she wouldn't tell him. He was going to talk to her about it tomorrow, try to get her to open up. Until then, all he could do was watch over the house and make sure no one hurt her again.

He went back into the living room and sat down. He wished for his laptop, but he'd forgotten it at his house. He wanted to write again, even though his last book hadn't sold very well. He wished he'd never written the book; it had done nothing but caused him pain.

Lindsay had assumed that Peyton was the comet he'd been talking about, and in a way she was right; Peyton had brought something into his life that had changed everything…she'd brought him Brooke. Lindsay had accused him of only beginning to write again when Peyton came home, but she'd overlooked the fact that Brooke had come home the same day. Brooke had been the reason he'd started writing in school; she'd given him the hope that he could do anything…become anything. And then she'd broken up with him and pushed him towards Peyton. He'd been so certain that was where he was supposed to be.

He'd been wrong. When he'd asked Peyton to marry him in LA, his heart hadn't been in it. He'd been so lonely and wanted a family so badly, and he loved Peyton. Why couldn't they have that together? When she said they needed to wait, she wasn't saying no. He accused her of turning him down, but she hadn't. Brooke had turned him down. She'd broken up with him twice, pushed him away twice. Peyton wasn't supposed to do that…Peyton was the one that was supposed to hold on to him. It had hit him hard.

Now he and Peyton were finally together again, just like everyone kept saying they would be. It made sense, he guessed, and she was happy. As with Lindsay, Lucas was sure he could be happy with Peyton. He also knew that like Lindsay, she wasn't who he really wanted. He was destined to settle for something less than his dream, and he'd finally made peace with that. Or he'd thought he had.

Standing in the airport, Lucas had planned on getting on a random plane and flying somewhere to stay for a few weeks. He didn't know where he was going to go, but he knew that he had to leave Tree Hill for a while. His heart was broken and a mess and he couldn't think straight. He'd told Peyton he'd hated her, but that wasn't true. He was upset that she'd interfered with his life as much as she had, but he could never hate her.

He'd given up on Lindsay. When he'd heard her message, he'd almost called her back. He knew that she would never fully believe that he loved her, though, and he knew that she'd be right when she said she was his second choice.

He'd told Brooke he loved her, and he'd let himself believe that she meant it when she said she loved him back. Sitting in the airport, he'd been contemplating leaving when he thought of the look in her eyes when she'd said that she loved him. Hope stirred in his heart and he pulled out his phone, calling her. He got her voicemail. He called her again. Voicemail. Once more, and getting her voicemail for the third time convinced him that he was being a fool. Brooke had caller ID; she knew he was calling her. She was obviously regretting telling him she loved him, and trying to figure out some way to take it back. He would never have her.

Depression, thick and black, threatened to smother him. He was never going to have the woman and family he wanted. He was destined to be alone forever. He looked down at his phone and thought about throwing it across the terminal. Unlocking it instead, he scrolled down to Peyton's name. He didn't have to be alone. There was one woman that would always love him, and that was Peyton. Everyone seemed so sure that they were supposed to be together…maybe they were right.

Now he wasn't so sure. Even if Brooke didn't love him like he loved her, shouldn't he have tried a little harder? Instead of just calling her, he should have come back here, kissed her, told her that she was the only woman he'd ever really loved. If she'd turned him down it would have hurt, but at least he would have known the truth. Not knowing was slowly driving him crazy now.

He heard a noise from her bedroom and jumped up. He realized as he walked to the room that it was only her, crying softly. The sound tore at his heart. "Brooke," he said softly, walking into her room. "What's wrong?" He turned on the lamp beside her bed and looked down at her. She covered her face with a pillow, motioning for him to go away. "I'm not leaving this room until you tell me what's wrong," he told her, sitting on the bed. "Can you look at me?" She shook her head under the pillow. "Are you hurting?" he asked. She shook her head again. He knew that one was a lie, but he didn't think that's why she was crying. "What is it, Brooke?"

She said something but it was muffled by the pillow. "What?" he asked, unable to stop a small smile. She was always so dramatic.

She pulled her head out from behind the pillow and looked at him. "Do you think I'm an awful daughter?" she asked him.

"No," he told her, tenderly moving the hair out of her face. "Why would you ask that?"

"Wouldn't a person have to be an awful daughter to have a mother that hates them?"

Lucas looked at her, confused. "I'm sure that's the case sometimes, but not for you." He frowned. "What's going on, Brooke?"

"The guy who attacked me stole my sketches," Brooke told him, wiping a tear off of her face.

"So?" Lucas said. It hit him. "You don't think that Victoria did this?" It made sense. She needed those sketches and Brooke wouldn't give them to her. An icy rage filled him. He'd kill her.

"I don't know," Brooke said, unaware of his inner turmoil.

"This is what you've been keeping from me," he said.

"I've been trying not to think about it," she said softly. She realized his fists were clenched tightly and covered his hand with hers. "Don't," she said.

"Don't what?" he asked, threading their fingers together.

"I'm going to take care of it," she told him, determination hardening her voice. "I'm going to fly to New York tomorrow and talk to her."

"I'm going with you," he told her.

Brooke shook her head. "You don't have to do that," she said. "And Peyton needs you here."

"Listen to yourself, Brooke!" Lucas said, angry. "You think your mother may have had you attacked, but you're going to go to New York to see her alone? What would stop her from having you attacked again?"

"I can take care of myself," she told him.

"But you don't have to," he said, his eyes pleading. "Let me help you."

"When we were together," she said softly, "you were always running off to help Peyton. It killed me, Lucas." She looked into his eyes. "I can't be that girl, Luke. I can't be the one that you always have to save."

"I know you're strong, but you don't always have to do everything alone."

"I do this time," she told him. "I'll be careful and I won't take any unnecessary risks." She smiled slightly. "This is something I have to do myself."

Lucas held her gaze, desperately trying to think of something to say that would change her mind. He couldn't think of anything. "I'll take you to the airport in the morning," he told her.

"Thank you, Lucas," she said, hugging him. "For everything."

He held her, sending up a silent prayer that she would be safe.

Peyton stood outside the door, leaning against the wall. She'd heard Brooke crying and had meant to comfort her. Lucas had beaten her to it, though. Hearing Brooke talk about Lucas always saving her had sent a shock through her system. Looking back on it, Peyton realized how weak she must have seemed to Brooke. Strong, independent Brooke, who never needed anyone. Peyton had always seen herself as strong, but she realized now that she'd been wrong. She'd needed someone to lean on, and that someone had always been Lucas. His need to make everything right had fit so well with hers that it seemed like they were made for each other.

Quietly walking back to her room, she thought about the past year. She'd once again fallen into the trap of needing someone, so she'd come back home for Lucas. Since she'd been here, her entire world had revolved around him. She hadn't even noticed it, really. She'd gone out of her way to make sure that he would be hers…and for what? So she'd feel loved. So she'd feel safe. Lucas made her feel those things. She sighed as she lay down; she'd get no sleep tonight.

Lucas waited until Brooke had fallen back asleep before he got up from the bed. He turned her light off, and then walked to Peyton's room to check on her. Thinking she was asleep, he walked back into the living room and sat. Once again, he wished he had his laptop, only this time instead of for writing he needed it for research. He wanted to find out everything about Victoria Davis there was to know.


	4. Chapter 4

Brooke stood outside her mother's apartment, waiting for the older woman to open the door. With Peyton's help, she'd managed to cover enough of her bruises to travel without having everyone stare at her, but in the car on the way to this place she'd removed it. She wanted to see her mother's reaction when she saw her face.

"Brooke?" Victoria said, opening the door. "My God, what did you do to your face?" she asked in horror, opening the door wider and letting Brooke walk in.

"Are you saying you don't know?" Brooke asked, turning around to look at her.

Victoria shut the door, unable to take her eyes off of the bruises. "How would I know what happened?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

"Do you care?" Brooke challenged her.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't," Victoria said, walking toward the couch.

"I was attacked," Brooke said. "At the store in Tree Hill."

Victoria stopped walking and looked at her. Her eyes narrowed. "And you think I had you attacked?" she asked, angry. "You think that I'd have someone do that to my own daughter?"

"We both know that you don't care about me," Brooke said. "And my sketches were stolen."

Victoria sat down. "That's not true," she said, sighing and shaking her head. "I care about you, Brooke."

Brooke snorted. "You would care about the sketches more."

"That's not true either."

"So you're saying you didn't do it?"

"I didn't do it," Victoria told her. "And I'm horrified that you'd even think I could."

Brooke believed her. The relief she felt almost caused her to fall. "I was horrified, too." She straightened. "I'll be leaving now," she said, walking to the door.

"I'm sorry," Victoria said from the couch.

"Sorry?" Brooke asked, putting her hand on the knob but not opening the door yet.

"For letting us get to this," Victoria said tiredly from the couch. "For not being the kind of mother that a daughter would turn to for support after an attack, and instead an accusation."

"I'm sorry too," Brooke said, opening the door.

"Brooke, can we talk?" Victoria asked, standing.

"There's nothing left to talk about," Brooke told her.

"I don't want it to be like this," she said.

Brooke looked at her in disbelief. "This is the way you made it," she said. "I wanted us to work together and to be happy. I wanted us to be a real family. I _never _wanted it to be like this."

"You're a better daughter than I am a mother," Victoria conceded. "I don't have a maternal bone in my body, I'm afraid."

"Then what do you want?" Brooke asked her.

"I just want to try," Victoria said. "And I might fail." She looked at Brooke. "I think that the idea of failing is what kept me from trying in the first place."

"Why now?" Brooke asked incredulously.

"Why not now?" Victoria responded. "You may not believe this, but seeing you like this…" she straightened, flipping her hair behind her shoulder. "You obviously need some support. I thought that would be a good place to start."

Brooke opened her mouth to tell her mother to go to hell but the words Lucas had said last night stopped her. _"I know you're strong, but you don't always have to do everything alone." _"Okay," Brooke said.

"Okay?" Victoria said, surprised. "You mean you're not going to tell me to go to hell?"

Brooke smiled a little. "I thought about it," she told Victoria. "But I'm tired of doing everything alone."

Victoria smiled a little, too. To Brooke's surprise, her face didn't crack. "Thank you, Brooke," she said. "I'll be back down to Tree Hill this weekend."

"Does this mean we're going to work together without any problems?"

"I hope so," Victoria told her. "Are you staying in your house?"

"Yes. Lucas is staying with me and Peyton."

Victoria rolled her eyes. "I'm sure he is."

Brooke ignored that. "They're getting married."

"What?" Victoria asked, looking at Brooke like she'd grown another head.

Brooke shrugged, causing pain to shoot down her right arm. "Lucas asked Peyton to marry him."

"Then he's a fool," Victoria said.

"Why do you say that?" Brooke asked her, curious.

"Because he's supposed to marry you," she said simply.

She didn't know why, but her mother's words almost caused her to cry. Strike that, she knew why; it's because her heart had been screaming the same thing since she'd heard the news. "Why would you say that?"

"When you're heartbroken, you throw yourself into work," Victoria said. "You agreed to go into business with me the day he was here three years ago. I knew you loved him then. Since you've been back to Tree Hill, you've done the same thing."

Brooke's mouth hung open with shock. She closed it and said, "It doesn't matter if I love him or not. He loves Peyton."

"Oh, he does not," Victoria said dismissively.

"Then why did he ask her to marry him?"

"Probably because he didn't think you would."

Brooke was standing in the door of her mother's apartment and she felt it. That moment when everything changed. "Do you think so?" she asked, heart pounding.

"Why would I bother to lie about something like that?" Victoria said, annoyed.

Brooke didn't even pay attention to her mother's eye roll. "You think he loves me?"

"Maybe I am maternal after all," Victoria said, taking Brooke's hand and pulling her back into the apartment. "Let's have a meal and discuss it."

Brooke followed the woman through the apartment to the kitchen, the teenager in her screaming with delight for finally having a mother to talk to.


	5. Chapter 5

Brooke had told him she was fine a million times, but that didn't stop him from being nervous. "Please stop pacing," Peyton asked him again, feeling like she was going to pull her hair out. The entire time Brooke had been gone Lucas had been like a caged animal.

"Sorry," he said, sitting down. Brooke had called him after seeing Victoria and told him that it wasn't her mother that had her attacked. Lucas hadn't been so sure, but Brooke was completely convinced. The things he'd read about Victoria this morning had painted her as a cold, brisk woman- but nothing gave the impression that she'd be so heartless as to have her own daughter attacked. Hopefully Brooke was right. She told him that things were better between the two of them now than they'd ever been. Wasn't that sort of convenient, though? "What do you think about Victoria?" he asked Peyton.

Peyton looked up from the magazine she'd bought from a vendor in the airport. "How many times have you asked me that?" she said, groaning.

"Sorry," he said again.

Peyton sighed. "She's a bitch."

Lucas nodded. "Why would Brooke be so certain that it wasn't her?"

"I don't know, Lucas, I haven't talked to her." It bothered Peyton that Brooke had called Lucas when she'd left New York and not her. Had she really been that far removed from both of their lives that she hadn't noticed this closeness? She'd known that Lucas would come over sometimes and play with Angie, but she hadn't realized that Brooke often visited him or that they met at the park or café or a million other places in Tree Hill. They'd been dating without dating. Peyton hated it.

Lucas stood up. Brooke was walking towards them, her make up job so good that she almost looked completely normal. "Hey," he said, pulling her in for a gentle hug. The tension left his body and he felt like he could finally relax; Brooke was home and she was safe.

"Hey," Brooke said with a smile. She looked over at Peyton. "I have so much to tell you!" she said, hugging the other woman.

"So Victoria isn't the devil?" Peyton said, smiling.

"No, she's still the devil," Brooke said as they slowly walked through the airport. "But she's almost like a real mom now!"

"I don't believe it," Peyton said. Brooke took her hand as she told Peyton about her and Victoria's dinner, her other hand finding Lucas's. Peyton tried to concentrate on Brooke's words, but she felt like her world was falling apart. She caught Lucas's eyes over Brooke's head and she gave him a weak smile. Lucas looked worried, but Brooke said something and he laughed, breaking the eye contact.

Brooke chatted all the way to the house, showing them some of the designs she and Victoria had worked on together. "I know it sounds crazy, but I trust her," Brooke told them as they walked into the house and put her bag down on the counter.

"You're right," Peyton told her. "It sounds crazy."

Lucas frowned at Peyton, and then looked at Brooke. "You believe her?"

Brooke had been watching Peyton, but she turned to look at Lucas. "I do, Luke," Brooke told him, her eyes begging him to trust her.

"Then it wasn't her," Lucas said. He didn't know if he truly believed that, but it was clearly what Brooke needed to hear.

Brooke frowned, sitting on the bar stool. "That means it was someone else," she said, just now realizing the implications of Victoria not being behind the attack. She moaned a little; every part of her body still ached.

Peyton gave up. "I've got to run to the studio," she said. She smiled at Brooke. "I'm glad you're back safe," she said.

"Thank you, P. Sawyer," Brooke said, smiling back at her friend.

"Be careful," Lucas told her, kissing her on the cheek.

Peyton nodded, having to stop herself from running out of the house. She needed to talk to someone, anyone. She thought about calling Haley, but knew that Haley's loyalty to Lucas might cloud her judgment. She pulled out her phone. "Hey," she said when he answered. "I was wondering…are you busy?"

"Not at the moment," Nathan told her. "What's up? Brooke back yet?"

"Yeah, I just left her and Lucas at the house," Peyton told him. "I was wondering if there was any way you could meet me at the studio."

"I'm actually driving by there right now," Nathan said. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah, everything's fine," Peyton said. "I just needed to talk to someone."

"Okay, I'll be here waiting," he told her.

"Thanks, Nathan," Peyton told him. She really hated to bother him; he was so busy with basketball that his time with Haley and Jamie was really important to him. She just didn't know who else to talk to…and Nathan wouldn't sugarcoat anything.

He was sitting at the bar when she got there. "Nathan," she said, smiling as she hugged him.

"Hey," he said, hugging her back.

"How's basketball?" she asked him as they walked up to the studio.

"It's going well," he said. "I'm having a good time."

"I bet it's hard on Haley, having you gone so much."

"She's the strongest woman I've ever met," Nathan told her. Peyton sat down in the chair behind her desk and Nathan sat down in one of the chairs in front of it. "What's going on, Peyton?"

"Is this weird?" Peyton asked him. "I know we used to be closer, but we're still friends, right?"

"We'll always be friends," Nathan told her.

Peyton propped her elbows on her desk and put her head in her hands. "I swear that I'm losing my mind," she told him.

"I thought you'd be happy," Nathan said, confused. "You and Lucas are finally together…isn't that what you always wanted?"

"It is," she said. "God, it is. I've loved him since we were in school. I always thought that it was supposed to be me and Luke, you know?" She sat back in her chair. "I was so horrible to Lindsay, but I justified it to myself because I felt like neither of us would be happy unless we were together."

"Lucas obviously forgave you," Nathan pointed out.

Peyton nodded. "I think he just gave in to the inevitable," she said softly.

Nathan shrugged. "What's wrong with that?" he asked her.

"I don't want him to settle for me, Nathan. I want him to want me," she said, shaking her head.

"Peyton, he wouldn't have asked you to marry him if he didn't want you," Nathan told her.

"I need to ask you something," Peyton told him, looking into his eyes. "And I need you to tell me the truth."

"I've always told you the truth," Nathan told her. When she kept looking at him, he smiled a little. "Okay, I promise."

"It's Brooke, isn't it?"

Nathan shifted in his chair. "I don't know what you're talking about," he told her.

"You just promised to tell me the truth," she reminded him.

He sighed. "I'm not Lucas, Peyton. Shouldn't you be asking him?"

"I'm asking you," she told him. "I want to know what you, as his brother, think. You've always been with him, you know him better than anyone…besides maybe Haley. I _need _to know." She swallowed hard, the tears that filled her eyes threatening to fall. "It's Brooke, right?"

Nathan nodded, reaching across the desk and taking her hand. "I'm sorry, Peyton," he told her.

A tear fell down her cheek and she brushed it away with the back of her hand, shaking her head. "No, it's good that I know."

"I might be wrong," he said, squeezing her hand. "He did ask you to marry him, right?"

"He asked Lindsay, too," she said. Nathan nodded, not saying anything. "It's my own fault," she told him. "All the signs were there. They've always been there." The tears were flowing freely now and she couldn't stop them. "He cared about me first, you know," she said. Nathan nodded again. "But it wasn't enough. We were supposed to have this epic love story…but it's not my story, is it? It's his and Brooke's story."

"You should talk to him," Nathan told her. "Ask him what's going on…figure out what you both want."

"I have no idea what I want," she told him. "I just…I think I just lost me somewhere, and when I couldn't find myself I latched on to the idea of being that girl again."

"I did the same thing," Nathan told her. "After the accident, when I was in that wheelchair, I was so lost. I wanted to go back to the time when I had it all…back to high school. If I could just be that guy again…everything would be perfect."

"But I'm not that girl anymore," Peyton said sadly.

"And I'm not that guy," he said, nodding. "And the guy I am right now is better than him. The woman you are can be so much more than that girl."

Peyton nodded, a small feeling of hope flaring in her chest. "You're right," she told him.

"Of course I am," he said, smiling.

"Thanks, Nate," Peyton told him, standing and going around her desk to hug him.

Nathan stood and hugged her back. "Any time," he told her. He started to walk out of the room and turned back. "Music is still your passion, right?"

Peyton looked back at him and nodded. "I think so."

"Maybe it's time you made some, instead of going through the motions."

She smiled. "I think you might be right again," she told him. When was the last time she'd felt good about what she was doing with her studio? When was the last time she'd gone out looking for new talent? When was the last time she'd felt her heart race at the idea of signing someone really amazing?

It had been too long. Now was the time to change that.


	6. Chapter 6

Brooke had told Lucas that she needed to rest, and that was certainly true. She'd really needed to get out of the same room he was in, though. After talking to Victoria, she'd realized that she'd been hiding her feelings for him for so long because she was terrified that she wouldn't be enough for him. She'd pushed him into the arms of two other women, and then sat back miserable as he'd tried to make it work with both of them.

She didn't want it to work out with them. She wanted him to be with her.

"I wanted you to fight for me," she'd told him when they were in school. And he had; he hadn't been willing to let her go until she'd convinced him she didn't want him. The moment he'd said, "I'm not the guy for you, Brooke Davis," had been one of the worst of her life. Inside, her heart had been breaking. On the outside, she'd been cool and collected.

And now he was marrying Peyton. Victoria had told her that now was the time to fight for him, but Brooke wasn't sure her mother was right. She couldn't do that to Peyton, and she was afraid that Lucas would think she was crazy. They were friends now, right? Wasn't that enough?

No. How can you just be friends with Lucas Scott? She tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable. Her body still hurt and she knew she looked awful. The bruises were turning different colors, making her feel like a freak. She slowly got up, wanting a glass of water.

As she got the water, she saw Lucas standing on the deck. The wind was blowing hard and it looked like it was going to storm. "Hey," she said, stepping out of the back door. "If you stay out here too much longer, you're going to get wet."

He was standing facing the water, his arms crossed. He looked back at her, unsmiling. "I like storms," he told her quietly.

Brooke inhaled sharply, thinking about the night he'd chased her out into the rain to tell her how much he loved her. "I was wrong," she told him.

"About what?" he asked.

"I should have fought for you."

Lucas turned around. "Brooke," he said, walking toward her.

"No, don't," she said, holding her hand up. "When Peyton told me that she was in love with you, I figured it was over. You'd always wanted her."

Lucas stared at her. "What are you talking about?" he asked her.

"The day of Nathan and Haley's wedding, Peyton told me that she was in love with you," Brooke told him. Hadn't Peyton ever told him that? No, why would she? _Crap_, Brooke thought. She shouldn't have said anything.

Lucas shook his head. "That's why you were upset? Why didn't you tell me?"

Brooke snorted. "Why would I tell you that Peyton loved you? So I could watch you run off to be with her?" She shook her head. "But I shouldn't have broken up with you," she said softly. "I should have fought for you, tried to make you see…"

Lucas's head was spinning. "See what, Brooke?"

"That you were supposed to be with me," she told him, her eyes shining with tears. "You were always supposed to be with me."

"Brooke, I-"

She shook her head. "No, I know. I shouldn't be saying this. I'm doing everything I hated Peyton for." She looked into his eyes. "I just wanted you to know that you were right. I didn't fight for you. I let you go. And I'll always have to live with that." She turned and ran back into the house, closing the door behind her. Lucas stood on the deck and stared at the door, thoughts whirling around in his head so fast that he couldn't hold on to them. One thought was persistent, breaking through his confusion. Brooke hadn't fallen out of love with him. She'd pushed him away in fear, but she'd always cared.

She cared. Lucas fell down into the chair beside him. He felt his heart open up for the first time in years, and he smiled. He'd made a mess of things, but maybe there was a chance now.

He thought of Peyton and the smile left his face. He had asked her to marry him. He'd made a mistake and he didn't want to hurt her. He knew that Brooke would never stand in the way of him and Peyton being together, but could he move forward with Peyton if there was the slightest chance that he and Brooke could be together?

He felt the rain start and stood, staring up into the sky. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he knew that he was going to have to make some kind of decision soon. He walked back into the house and shut the door behind him.

"Hey," Peyton said, having just gotten in.

"Hey," he said, smiling at her. When it rained, her hair got curly and reminded him of the girl he'd known in school. "Your hair's kinking up."

"I know," she said, laughing a little. "It's fitting, I guess."

"Why's that?"

"I just decided that I'm going to let the high school me go," she told him, leaning against the bar and looking at him. "Of course she wouldn't want to leave without a fight."

"What's going on?" he asked her.

"How's Brooke doing?" Peyton asked him.

"She's resting," Lucas told her, leaning against the sink.

Peyton nodded. "I want to ask you something," she told him.

"What is it?"

"Why did you ask me to marry you?"

Lucas straightened up. "What's this about, Peyton?"

She smiled a little. "Just tell me."

"I thought it was fate," he told her.

Not because he loved her, she thought. "Fate," Peyton mused. "Why?"

Lucas put his hands in his pockets. "Both women I'd loved had broken up with me and told me that I was in love with you," he answered her honestly. "I thought that it must be true if they both believed it." He walked towards her. "And I do love you, Peyton," he told her.

"I know you do," she told him. "And I love you. But we both know that I'm not your first choice," she said softly. "I'm not the comet."

Lucas stood in front of her. "I never meant to hurt anyone," he told her.

"Why did you think it was fate?"

"I tried calling Brooke," he told her. "I tried three times, and all three times I got her voicemail. She'd told me that she loved me, and I said the same to her. I figured she was avoiding me because she regretted it."

"So you called me," Peyton said, smiling wistfully. "Who was more than happy to rush to the airport and be with you."

Lucas hung his head. "I'm sorry, Peyton."

"Me too," she told him. "I'm just as much to blame as you are."

"No," Lucas said, shaking his head.

"No, Luke, I am. I've forced my way into your life, pushed my way into your relationships…I've made it so hard for you. And oh, Luke…what have I done to Brooke?"

Lucas thought about all of the time that he and Brooke had wasted…and about how miserable he'd been without her. "Maybe I was supposed to go through the pain of not having her…so that I could be sure she was the one I can't live without."

Peyton nodded, tears falling down her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cry," she said, wiping her face. "I'm glad that you're so willing to forgive me, but I have to wonder if I'm deserving of that forgiveness."

"We're all to blame," Lucas told her, walking closer to her and hugging her. "None of us have been honest about what we wanted, and this is what happened."

Brooke came through the room and saw them together. She'd finally told Lucas that she'd been wrong, and he'd ran right to Peyton. She walked towards the door, ignoring him as he called out to her. She moved to her car and got in. The storm had started and she could barely see out of her windshield. She didn't know where else to go, so she found herself driving to her store.

She parked in front and rushed in, finding the door unlocked. "Of course," she mumbled. What else had been stolen?

She shut the door behind her and looked into the dark open room. Everything was as she'd left it; trashed. She could see fingerprint dust from where the police had tried to find out who had attacked her, but they'd had no luck. There were so many different sets of prints there was no way they could ever find the right ones.

She walked further into the place, flipping on the lights as she went. When she got behind her desk she sat down, putting her head on the table. The image of Peyton and Lucas hugging would forever be seared into her mind. How could she watch them get married? How could she stand by and pretend to be happy for them when Lucas knew the truth? She should have kept her mouth shut.

She heard a noise behind her and her head jerked up. She looked around but saw nothing out of place. Suddenly uneasy, she slowly got up. Maybe she'd crash at Haley and Nathan's for the night.

"Where you going?" a man said from behind her.

Brooke's heart stopped beating as she recognized the voice of her attacker. "I'm leaving," she told him, her voice steady. She started to turn around and felt the hard metal of a gun barrel shoved into her back.

"Why would you want to leave?" he asked her. "It's storming outside."

"What are you doing here?" she asked him, trying to breathe calmly. He was going to kill her. He was going to pull the trigger and she was going to die. She didn't want to die…she still had so much to do, so much to see!

The man shrugged. "I didn't think you'd be back for a while, so I've been taking my time going through your things."

"You can take all of it," Brooke told him.

"Oh, I know I can," the man said, amused. "But I'm glad that I now have your permission."

Brooke looked around for something she could use as a weapon and closed her eyes when she realized there wasn't one. "What do you want from me?" she asked.

"Your money," the man said. "I really like your money. I figure I can sell some of this fashion crap for money, too." His hand moved around her body, resting on her stomach. "Maybe there's something else you can give me."

Brooke opened her eyes, her stomach clenching. "No," she told him. "You've taken enough."

He chuckled. "You think you could stop me?" he asked her, his hand running up her body.

"Yes," she said firmly. She hoped she didn't sound as scared as she was.

"Maybe we should give it a go, then," he said. "See what happens."

"I'll kill you," Brooke promised.

"I doubt it," he said, pulling her body back towards his and grinding his hips into her. Brooke cried out, afraid she was going to be sick.

"Brooke?" Lucas called from the front of the store. He hadn't known where she'd be going, but he'd looked here first. Her car was out front and all the lights were on, so he figured he'd been right.

Brooke opened her mouth to scream and her attacker covered it with his hand. "Say a word and I'll shoot him," the man whispered into her ear.

Tears fell down her face and she stopped moving. She couldn't let Lucas get hurt. The man was thinking. "You go tell him to leave," he told her. "I'm going to have my gun on him, so don't even think about trying anything. It's not you I'll shoot. Get it?"

Brooke nodded. He released her and she took a deep breath. "What do you want Lucas?" she asked him, walking around to the front of the store.

"I need to talk to you," he told her, moving closer. He noticed her tears. "Don't cry, Brooke," he said, reaching for her.

Brooke pulled away. "It's clear you've made your choice, Luke," she said. "I could tell from the way you were holding Lindsay that you want to be with her."

Lucas looked at her, confused. "But-" he said, shaking his head.

"Don't say anything else," Brooke told him, eyes wide. "Go be with Lindsay. Leave me alone."

Lucas felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "You want me to go be with Lindsay?"

"Yes," she told him.

Lucas didn't look around, but he realized what Brooke was doing. Someone was in the store. "You're staying here?" he asked her.

Brooke nodded. "I have to. I have a lot of work to do in the back."

He was in the back. Lucas nodded. "I meant what I said," he told her. "I'm always going to be here for you," he told her, looking into her eyes and hoping she knew what he was trying to say.

Brooke nodded, another tear threatening to escape. "Go," she said.

Lucas left the store, disappearing into the storm. "Turn off the lights," the man told her.

Brooke walked over and flipped the front switch. She turned around to face him. "You're not going to hurt me again," she told him.

He motioned to her with his gun. "Follow me," he told her.

She walked toward the back of the store, her eyes continuously searching for a weapon. She had to find something. She felt his hand on her arm and she stopped walking. "Don't touch me," she said, glaring up at him.

"So feisty," the man said, laughing. "I like that." Brooke pulled her arm away from him, wincing a little at the movement. "Hmmm," he mused. "I worked you up pretty good."

Lightning lit up the store for a moment and he looked towards the giant window. Brooke took advantage of his momentary distraction and shoved him hard. He dropped the gun and caught himself on a counter. "You bitch!" he yelled, reaching for her.

Brooke whimpered as he jerked her sore arm. "Don't," she pleaded.

"Not so cocky now, are you?" he asked her, pulling her closer to him. He bent his head, licking her face.

Brooke closed her eyes, trying to pull away from him. He held her tighter. Lucas wasn't coming, she thought. He hadn't understood. She'd have to save herself. Suddenly, she realized what she'd have to do. She wrapped her arms around the man, leaning into him. "What are you doing?" he asked her.

"I told you that you're not going to hurt me again," she said, smiling seductively up at him. "You can't hurt me if I want it too."

He smiled. "I like the way you think," he told her, bending to kiss her. Brooke kissed him back, praying that she didn't throw up. He picked her up, moving her towards the table. His hands moved over her body, pushing her skirt up.

"Here," Brooke said, standing. "Let me unfasten my shirt."

He moved back, watching her. She looked down while she unbuttoned the top, but her eyes were on the floor, searching for the gun. She found it, lying on the floor right behind him. She finished unbuttoning her shirt, then looked up at him and smiled. She knew what she had to do, but she was afraid she wouldn't be able to.

"You're strong," she said, running her hands down his arms and across his chest. When they reached his pants, she kneeled down in front of him. He grabbed her hair, pulling her head back so she had to look at him.

"Don't try anything," he warned her.

"No tricks," she said, winking. He let go of her hair and she closed her eyes. She only had one shot at this. _Please_, she thought. _Please let this work._

Taking a deep breath, she reached for the gun. Pushing him away with one hand, she held the gun up with the other. "Don't move," she told him as she stood up.

"Bitch," he said again, staring at the gun. He smiled, looking into her eyes. "You're not going to shoot me," he told her.

"You don't think so?" she asked, voice trembling. She didn't know if she could do this. Her entire body was shaking and she felt like she was going to pass out. She hoped he didn't notice that the gun was shaking. "After what you did to me, you don't think I can do it?" Her finger tightened on the trigger.

"Brooke," Lucas said from behind her. She almost dropped the gun at the sound of his voice. Thank God he was here, that he understood what she'd been trying to tell him. "Hand me the gun," he was telling her.

Brooke shook her head, tears falling down her face. "He hurt me, Luke," she said, not taking her eyes off of her attacker. "I can't let him do it again."

"You can't shoot him," Lucas told her, standing beside her. "That's not who you are."

"I don't know who I am," she said, her voice catching on a sob.

"I know who you are," Lucas told her quietly. He reached for the gun, and she gave it to him. She covered her face with her hands and began to cry.

Lucas walked over to the man and hit him with the gun, knocking him down. "I should kill you," Lucas whispered to him, kneeling beside him. "But I'm not going to. You're not worth it." He had called the police as soon as he'd left the front of the store and they now moved into the room. Lucas looked up at Brooke, then back down at the man. "If you ever even look at her again, I'll forget that," he promised. "And I will kill you." He stood as the police moved around the man, cuffing him.

He turned to Brooke, taking her into his arms. She cried into his chest as she buttoned her shirt, and he hugged her tightly to him. "It's okay," he told her, kissing her head and rubbing her back. "You got him."

Brooke nodded, afraid that if he let her go she'd fall. "Thank you for coming back," she said.

"I'll never leave you, Brooke," he told her, knowing in his heart that he never could.


	7. Chapter 7

After talking to the police, he drove her back to her house. "Did you call Peyton to tell her what happened?" Brooke asked, looking over at him. They'd been at the police station for what seemed like an eternity. She'd called Victoria to let her know that her attacker had been caught, for the first time in her life knowing that her mother would care.

Lucas shook his head. "Peyton is going to be out of touch for a while," he told her.

After Brooke had rushed out of the house, Peyton had wanted to go after her. "I'll go," Lucas told her. "I need to talk to her anyway."

Peyton had nodded. "Tell her I love her, okay? And that I'm not mad at her." She laughed a little, still wiping the tears from her face. "I know she'll feel guilty and I don't want her to." She looked into his eyes. "I just want you to be happy, Luke. Both of you."

Lucas hugged her. "You need to be happy too, Peyton."

"I will be," she said, smiling. "I know I will. I just have to find out who I am now."

Lucas pushed her hair back from her face. "Whoever she is, I know she's amazing," he told her.

Peyton nodded. "I'm not like Brooke," she said after a moment. "I can't just suck things up and put on a smile…this may take me a while to get over." She frowned. "I may be gone for a while."

"Peyton," Lucas started.

Peyton held up her hand, cutting him off. "It's okay," she told him, smiling. "You know how I am. We're both moody and broody. That's actually what Brooke calls us."

Lucas nodded, smiling. "I've heard that a time or two," he said.

"And you're Broody and Cheery," Peyton said. "She's the perfect person to be your other half."

Lucas watched her, knowing she was hurting. "Peyton…"

"I really am happy for you," she told him. "That's the funny thing. I expected to be devastated- and it does hurt. But I'm so happy for you both; I know you'll be amazing together."

"If she'll have me," Lucas said.

"Oh, she'll have you," Peyton told him. "You've always fought for her, and something tells me that this time you won't be giving up."

"I can't," Lucas told her. "She's it for me, Peyton." Peyton winced and Lucas moved closer to her.

"No, no, it's okay," she told him. "But that's why I need to go away for a while. I need to get used to it, and so do you two." She picked her things up and moved towards her room. "I've been hearing some buzz about a band in Tennessee," she told him. "I think I'm going to go check them out." She smiled one last time. "Take care of her for me, Lucas. She's my best friend and I love her."

"I will," he'd promised. When Peyton had gone into her room, he grabbed his keys to go out and look for Brooke. And now here they were, back in her driveway. She'd been attacked again, but she'd proven how strong she was; she'd beaten her attacker. She'd saved herself.

She was looking at him, confused. "What? Why?" she asked him.

He pulled into her driveway and put the car in park. "It's a long story," he told her. "Let's get you out of the storm."

He got out of the car and ran around to her side, opening the door. She got out and held his hand as they raced to the porch. "Lucas," she said, tugging on his hand when they got to the door. "What's going on with you and Peyton?"

She was a mess. She was soaked from their run to the house and her wet hair was plastered to her face…a face that was covered in bruises. He gently put his hands on her neck, tilting her face up to his as he lowered his lips to hers. Brooke caught his wrists, leaning into the kiss. "I always remember you like this," he told her after he'd pulled away. She looked up at him, eyes wide, trying to catch her breath. "When we were apart and I would think about you, I'd remember that night I chased you into the storm and we stood in the street and argued. I thought I'd convinced you that night that we belonged together, Brooke."

"You did," she told him.

"You pushed me away," he reminded her. "You pushed me away and it almost killed me."

"I'm sorry," she told him, shaking her head. "It almost killed me, too."

"I was wrong," he told her. "I shouldn't have settled with Peyton just because everyone thought that's who I should be with. I should have fought for you."

"You did," Brooke told him. "I just wouldn't let you back in."

"We've wasted so much time," he said, his eyes searching hers. "I don't want to waste any more. I love you, Brooke Davis. I always have, and I know that I always will."

"What about Peyton?" she asked him, her heart pounding.

"I love Peyton," he told her. "But it's not the same kind of love. She'll always be important to me, but she's not you. She'll never be you. You've always been my happily ever after, Brooke. Everyone else was just a replacement."

"But you asked her to marry you."

"I was confused and afraid that I was going to be alone for the rest of my life. I called you first," he told her, his thumb caressing her cheek. "When I was in the airport, I called you three times and you didn't answer. I thought you didn't want me."

Brooke frowned, shaking her head. "What? You didn't…Oh." Her eyes widened. "Angie's mother called to let me know that Angie had made it home and was okay. I was so upset after I talked to her…" She stopped. "I just couldn't talk to anyone after that."

Lucas closed his eyes, the last sliver of doubt leaving his heart. "I thought you regretted telling me you loved me," he told her, opening them again to look at her. "I thought you were pushing me away again."

"No. No, I wouldn't have pushed you away," she told him, her eyes glistening with tears. "I would have held on to you, Luke. I wouldn't have let you go."

"I love you, Pretty Girl," he told her, kissing her again. "I love you," he whispered against her lips.

"I love you, too," she said, laughing as tears fell down her face.

"If you let me in, I promise you that I'll never let you push me away again. I don't want to live without you," he said, smiling softly. "I don't want to settle. I need the girl that changed my life. I need the girl that makes me laugh. I need the girl behind the red door."

Brooke shook her head. "Losing you before hurt me so much," she told him. "I lost myself for a long time."

"You're not going to lose anything," he promised. "We're going to have it all, together. It's always been you, Brooke. You're the one that's always been there when my dreams came true. It took me a while, but now I realize that it's because you're the dream. You're the only thing I've ever really wanted, the only thing I can't live without."

Brooke closed her eyes, his words healing her broken heart and lightening her soul. "All I need," she told him, looking up at him, "is to hear that every day for the rest of my life."

"I think we can arrange that," he told her, smiling and kissing her on the nose. "I know that things are messed up and that I've made some bad decisions lately, but I don't ever want you to think this is one of them. I need for you to believe that it's you and that it's always been you. I know that I've made things hard between you and Peyton and it kills me. I don't want you to keep worry about me and her."

Brooke bit her lip. "I've just always thought…that it was her."

Lucas shook his head. "I know what you thought, but you were wrong." He moved his thumb across her lower lip. "I would have married Peyton," he told her. She made a face and he smiled a little. "I would have married her, but only because I thought that I could never have you. I would have never been truly happy."

Brooke's eyes searched his for a moment. "Good," she whispered finally.

Lucas laughed and kissed her again. He took both of her hands and lowered himself to one knee. "Brooke Penelope Davis, I don't have a ring or roses or a planned out speech," he told her. "But I do love you. And I promise you that if you agree to marry me I will spend the rest of my life making up for the time we've lost and proving to you, once and for all, that you're the only woman I've ever wanted. Marry me, Brooke."

"You seem to be proposing a lot lately, Lucas Scott," she told him playfully. "How do I know you're not going to leave me tomorrow for some other woman?"

Lucas shook his head, looking at her intently. "She was fiercely independent, Brooke Davis. Brilliant, beautiful and brave." Brooke smiled as she recognized what he'd written about her in his book. "Brooke Davis is going to change the world one day," he continued softly. "My world. If she'll just take a chance on me."

"And Lucas Scott was the one boy I might have lost it for," Brooke murmured, knowing that what she'd told her mother so many years ago was true. She wasn't going to let the chance to have the only man she'd ever loved pass by again. "I'm tired of wasting time," she told him. "Yes, Luke. I'll marry you."

Lucas closed his eyes, smiling. He started to say something but lightning split open the sky and thunder shook the porch. "I think we should take this inside," she told him, taking his hand and backing towards the door. "Besides, you were right; we have a lot of time to make up for."

Lucas followed her into the house, happier than he could ever remember being. Brooke Davis was going to be his wife, and that's all that had ever really mattered. How did he get so lucky?


	8. Chapter 8

Hey guys! I've gotten several messages wondering when I'm going to update. I hadn't really planned on writing more, but I think I may go a little further. I don't like to post stories until I have them all written out, though, so it may be a week before I have that done. I just wanted to let you guys know what the holdup was and that I will be posting more! Thanks for all of your reviews and messages. I love writing Brooke and Lucas, and it's awesome when you guys love to read what I write!


	9. Chapter 9

"Haley, I need you!" Brooke cried as she walked into the Scott household.

"Brooke!" Jamie cried, running to the door. He stopped before he jumped into her arms. "Oh, wow, you look awful!"

"James Lucas Scott!" Haley scolded him, walking into the room and hugging Brooke gently. "You apologize!"

"Sorry," he said, still looking at Brooke's bruises.

"It's okay, Squirt," Brooke told him, leaning down for a hug. "I do look awful."

"I had a black eye once," Jamie told her, taking her hand and leading her into the kitchen. "Daddy wanted to put a steak on it but mama said no way." He looked at Haley. "Do we have enough steak for her whole face?" he asked.

Brooke laughed at Haley's horrified look. "It's okay, Jamie, I have steak at my house."

He looked at her seriously. "Don't forget to use it, okay Aunt Brooke?"

"I won't forget," she promised him.

"Jamie, go finish picking your toys up and getting ready to go," Haley told him.

Brooke watched the little boy leave. "Where are you guys going?" she asked her friend.

"We're going to surprise Nathan," Haley told her with a smile. "He's working with Q at the gym, so we're going to pick him up and go out this weekend."

"How's that going?" Brooke asked, sliding onto a bar stool in the kitchen.

Haley shrugged. "He's doing what he loves and he's so happy."

"Are you happy?" Brooke asked her.

Haley smiled. "Yeah," she said. "I really am."

"Good, then let's talk about me," Brooke said.

Haley laughed. "What do you need me for?"

"Don't freak out, okay?" Brooke said, watching her.

"I'll try not to," Haley said, rolling her eyes a little at Brooke's dramatics.

"Lucas asked me to marry him," Brooke told her, grinning.

"Lucas? My Lucas? Our Lucas?" Haley asked, surprised. "What? I thought he asked Peyton to marry him!"

"He did," Brooke told her. "Oh, Haley, it's kind of a mess but I've never been so happy!"

Haley stared at her for a moment, her mouth still open in shock. "So he and Peyton…I mean, Peyton knows, right?"

Brooke nodded. "They talked about it before the attack last night and Peyton left town for a while."

"What attack last night?" Haley demanded, head spinning. "Did Peyton attack Lucas?"

"Oh," Brooke said, frowning. "I forgot that I got your voicemail last night."

"All you said was that you had something important to tell me and that you'd call me later," Haley accused. "I didn't know someone was attacked!" She sat down hard on the stool across from Brooke. "Tell me everything."

Brooke filled her friend in on the events of the night before, glossing over the details of her most recent attack. "Brooke," Haley whispered. "That's terrible."

Brooke nodded. "I was so scared and then Lucas showed up…" She told Haley about the cops arresting the man and the talk she and Lucas had on her porch. "He carried me to my room and we laid in bed talking until the sun came up," she finished, smiling.

Haley was silent for a moment. "I don't…I can't…" she shook her head. "Brooke, you're marrying Lucas!" She broke out into a huge smile. "I knew it would happen!" She reached across the table and grabbed Brooke's hand. "I knew it was you."

Brooke laughed, squeezing Haley's hand. "I knew it too," she admitted. "I was just afraid it wasn't going to work out."

"So you've not talked to Peyton?"

Brooke shook her head. "She told Lucas that she needed to be on her own for a while, to give her a chance to get used to this…used to us."

Haley nodded. "I don't know if I should call her or not."

"I know," Brooke said. "Haley…do you think this is wrong?" Haley looked at her, confused. "Peyton has always been in love with Lucas. Should I marry him? What kind of friend does that make me?"

"Do you want me to be honest?" Haley asked her. Brooke nodded, making a face. She was afraid that she wouldn't like what she was going to hear. "I love Peyton, you know that. You love her, too." Brooke nodded. "But Peyton should have never stood in the way of your relationship with Lucas. I've known from the first time I actually saw you two together that you were in love. The smile that he had when he was looking at you…he was so happy. You made him a better person, Brooke. And he did the same for you." She smiled. "I didn't want you two to date in the beginning; did he ever tell you that?"

"No," Brooke told her. "Why?"

"I didn't know you," Haley told her honestly. "I just knew what everyone else did, and that's not who you are. You're amazing. You do so much for the people you love, and you don't even realize you do it. You have such a wonderful heart, and Lucas was the first person to ever see that. He saw what I couldn't, and he showed it to everyone." Brooke wiped a tear away from her face. "He saw the real Brooke Davis, and she's beautiful, strong, loving, and fantastic." Haley smiled. "And because of you, my best friend opened himself up to the world. He saw that he could be better, could do anything. He realized that he could be happy, and he was. With you."

"You really think so?" Brooke asked her.

"I know it," Haley told her. "Nathan knows it too; we made you two Jamie's godparents for a reason. Karen knows it, Keith knew it." Both women felt a pang of loss at the mention of Keith. "Keith always loved you," Haley told her softly. "Like Lucas, he saw that you were special from the beginning." She laughed. "It may have taken Karen and me a little longer to realize it, but we came around. It really was his smile. It lit up the entire room, and it was always because of you."

Brooke smiled and looked down. "I'm so happy, Hales," she told Haley. "I feel like things are finally falling into place." She looked up at her friend. "It scares me a little."

"I know how you feel," Haley told her. "There are still times that things seem too perfect with me and Nathan and I start to freak out a little."

"You and Nathan give me hope," Brooke told her. "Every time I've gotten depressed and thought that things weren't ever going to work out for me, watching you and Nathan made me realize that it's possible."

"It's hard sometimes, and sometimes I want to strangle him, but I can't imagine living without him."

"I've never wanted to be without Lucas, but I was afraid that I didn't have a choice. Now that I may get what I've always wanted…I'm afraid I'm going to mess it up."

Haley watched her friend. "What are you thinking?"

Brooke frowned. "I have to tell him, Hales. Don't I?"

"You know I always thought you should have told him," Haley told her.

"What if he blames me?" Brooke asked hoarsely, clutching her friend's hand. "What if he can't forgive me?"

"He won't blame you," Haley told her firmly. "Brooke, you know he won't. There's nothing to forgive. It wasn't your fault."

Brooke shook her head. "I messed up," she told her friend. "It's something I've had to live with for a long time, and I'm tired of pretending it never happened."

Haley sighed, nodding. "When are you going to tell him?"

"Tonight," Brooke responded.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

Brooke smiled at her friend. "This is something I have to do on my own," she said.

Haley stood and walked around the bar, hugging her friend. "Call me if you need me. We'll be out of town, but that doesn't mean I can't listen."

Brooke hugged her back. "Thank you, Haley," she told her quietly. "You're the best friend I've ever had."

"Any time, Brooke," Haley told her, meaning it. "Any time."


	10. Chapter 10

Brooke drove around Tree Hill for an hour, trying to decide how she was going to tell Lucas what she had to. She'd kept the secret since their senior year, and she was afraid that by telling him now she would ruin any chance they had to be happy together. Truthfully? Even though she felt guilty about it, a part of her still blamed him.

She realized that she'd stopped at the river court without meaning to. Getting out, she walked to the bench beside the pavement and sat down. How many games had she watched here when they were in school? How many times had she cheered for her boyfriend? It seemed like so long ago, but it was really just a few years.

She heard a basketball and turned her head to see who was dribbling it. Lucas stopped in front of her, pulling down the hood of his grey "Scott Body Shop" hoodie and smiling at her. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," she replied, smiling back. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to shoot around," he told her. "What are you doing here?"

Brooke shrugged, looking at him. He still looked just like the boy she'd been in love with in school. "I come here sometimes," she said. "If I'm thinking about something or just wanting to remember."

Lucas sat on the bench beside her. "What do you want to remember?"

"You," she told him honestly. She looked back at the court and smiled. "I was happy when we were together, you know?" Lucas nodded, watching her. "And I've been happy since…but never like that." She looked at him. "It was special."

Lucas looked into her eyes. "It's still special, Brooke," he told her.

She smiled at him. "I can't believe you still have that hoodie," she told him.

Lucas looked down at it and grinned. "I found it when I got back to Tree Hill," he said. "It felt right to wear it, like I was supposed to." He shrugged. "I've changed in a lot of ways, but Tree Hill will always be my home." He leaned over to kiss her on the forehead. "It's where my heart is." His thumb gently caressed her cheek, mindful of her bruises. "Jamie called me."

"Oh yeah?" Brooke said, smiling.

Lucas nodded, smiling back at her. "He wanted to make sure that we had plenty of steak at your house."

Brooke laughed. "I think it freaked him out a little," she told him.

"What about you?" Lucas asked her. "Are you still freaked out?"

Brooke sighed. "A little. You don't just get over something like that." She looked at him. "I'm going to be fine, though," she promised.

"I'm going to hold you to that," he told her, pulling her head over onto his shoulder. "Have you talked to Angie's parents?"

"Yeah," Brooke said, smiling sadly. "She's doing great."

They sat quietly for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. "What are you thinking?" he asked her.

Brooke lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him. "Are we really going to do this?" she asked him.

He frowned. "Be together?" Brooke nodded. "It's what I want," he told her slowly. "Why?"

She shrugged a little. "I want to be with you more than anything," she told him.

"I feel a "but" coming on," he said.

"I can't stand for you to block me out," she told him honestly. "There are times that you start thinking or worrying about something and you don't let me in. We can't be like that anymore, Luke."

He nodded. "I told you, Brooke. I'm not going to keep you out anymore."

"Are you sure you can do that, though?" she asked him. "It's who you are."

"It's not who I am," he told her. "It's who I always thought I had to be." He sighed. "I always felt like I had to hide how I was feeling."

"Why?" she asked, sliding her hand into his.

He shrugged. "I didn't know if anyone would care…and I couldn't handle that."

"But I've always cared."

He squinted his eyes, looking out towards the court. "I knew you said you loved me, but I wasn't sure what parts of me you loved." Brooke started to say something, but he continued. "Brooke, my own father hated everything about me but the fact that I was good at basketball. I was a nobody for most of my life. You never even noticed me until I became a Raven."

Brooke made a face. "So you thought the only reason I wanted to be with you was because you were the new star?" she asked.

"In the beginning, wasn't that why you were interested in me?"

"No, Lucas, it wasn't," she told him haughtily, and then grinned sheepishly. "I thought you were hot."

Lucas laughed. "See?"

"In my defense, I realized that you were more than just a good looking guy pretty quickly," she told him.

Lucas smiled at her. "I still remember how surprised I was to realize that there was so much more to Brooke Davis than she let anyone see." He pushed a strand of her hair out of her face. Even bruised, she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

Brooke put her nose against his shoulder. "I would have kept being that girl if it wasn't for you," she told him.

"And the world would have missed out," he said, kissing her forehead. "What are you so worried about?"

Brooke looked into his eyes. "This time there has to be no lies, no secrets."

Lucas nodded. "Done." He noticed her worried look and frowned. "What is it?"

"Lucas, there's something I need to tell you," she said.

His stomach tightening, he nodded. "What is it? You can tell me anything."

"Before we broke up…"

"Brooke, Lucas!" Skills said, walking onto the court. "My people!"

"Hey Skills," Brooke said with relief, smiling at their friend.

"Skills," Lucas said, nodding. "What are you doing out here?"

"I'm out here most nights," Skills told them. "Can't let those high school boys school me in the gym."

Lucas laughed. "I think you mean that you can't let Q school you in the gym," he said.

"Right, right," Skills said, laughing. "That boy's going to make it big."

"He's doing better, isn't he?" Brooke asked. "I know Haley and Nathan are both really proud of him."

Lucas sighed. "I was set to give up on him," he admitted.

"Man, you showed more patience than I had," Skills said. "I wanted to smack that boy in the mouth every time he opened it."

"Ah, Naley," Brooke said, grinning at Lucas. "What can't they do?"

Lucas nodded, kissing her. "Wait, wait, wait," Skills said. "Hold up." He looked at them, his eyebrow cocked. "Yo, dude, last I heard you were in Vegas getting married to Peyton."

"I made a mistake," Lucas told him.

"You can say that again," Skills told him. "I've been telling this man for years it's B. Davis that he's supposed to be with," he told Brooke, winking.

"You did not," Lucas said, tossing Skills the ball.

"Oh, man, that's right," Skills said, dribbling both balls. "It's you that's been telling me for years that it's B. Davis you were supposed to be with."

Brooke laughed. "Is that right?" she asked, looking at Lucas.

"He knows it's right," Skills said. "He was standing on this court and told P. Sawyer that he wanted you by his side when his dreams came true. I thought the girl was going to cry and Lucas didn't even notice."

Brooke and Lucas both grimaced. "And let's not forget the fateful blindfolded shot," Skills continued.

"The what?" Brooke asked as Lucas shook his head.

"Your girl Rachel spent the entire night after the draft trying to get in Luke's pants and he wasn't having it," Skills told her. Brooke looked at Lucas, surprised. "Told her you were his soul mate."

"Did you?" Brooke asked him softly.

Lucas nodded, looking up at Skills. "Why do I tell you things?" he asked.

"'Cause I'm your boy," Skills said, shrugging. "Rachel told him to prove that you were the girl for him, so he tied his shirt around his head and made the three blind."

"Really?" Brooke asked, smiling. She had never known that. She quickly remembered what she'd been doing that night…she really didn't want to think about what she'd been doing when he'd been making that shot.

"Girl stripped down to her underwear and Lucas still said no," Skills said, shooting one of the balls.

Brooke lost her smile, feeling like he'd punched her. "It's okay, Brooke," Lucas was saying. "It was a long time ago."

Brooke stood up. "I'll let you guys play for a while," she told them, walking away backwards. "I'll see you at the house?" she asked Lucas.

He nodded. "Brooke," he said, standing up.

"No, it's okay," she said, smiling weakly. "I've got some stuff to do."

Lucas walked forward until he caught her. "Stay," he said, catching her hand. "Anything that happened in the past, we've already let it go." He pulled her close, looking into her eyes. "And I miss having my girlfriend cheer for me," he told her, smiling.

Brooke took a deep breath and nodded. Skills was watching them. "We good?" he asked them, confused.

"You're good," Lucas told him, walking up to him and taking the ball. "Until I embarrass you in front of my girl."

"Oh, it's going to be like that, huh?" Skills said, grinning widely. "Hey, Brooke, don't look! I wouldn't want you to see your boy get destroyed."

"You know I love you, Skills," Brooke called from the bleachers, "but you're going down."

Skills made a face, waving her away. He stood in front of Lucas and winked. "You finally got it all straightened out?" he asked his friend, checking the ball.

Lucas nodded, holding the ball away from his friend. "I'm good," he told him.

"It's about damn time," Skills said, running after him as he moved towards the goal.


	11. Chapter 11

Brooke sat looking at her phone, trying to decide whether or not she should make the call. Lucas had gone with Skills to the gym for a while and she'd come back home. She sighed, making the call anonymous. "Hello?"

"Peyton?"

"I should have known," Peyton said, smiling.

"I was afraid you wouldn't answer if I didn't block my number," Brooke admitted. "How are you? Where are you?"

"I'm in Tennessee," Peyton told her. "And I'm fine. How are you doing?"

"My bruises have turned green and yellow," Brooke told her. "I look like Frankenstein's monster."

"You do not," Peyton said. "I'm sure that even with yellow and green bruises you're beautiful."

Brooke shook her head. "I scared Jamie," she told her friend.

Peyton laughed. "Maybe you do look awful."

"I told you!" Brooke said, grinning. They were silent for a minute. "Are you mad at me?"

Peyton sighed. "No, Brooke, I'm not mad."

"I'm so sorry, Peyton."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Peyton told her, pulling up to her hotel. She leaned her head back against the head rest and stared out at the dark sky. "I think I should probably say that I'm sorry," she said softly. "I think I always knew it was you and Lucas and I just couldn't admit it."

Brooke was quiet. "Are you going to be okay with us being together?" she asked after a moment.

"I am," Peyton said. "But I need this time, Brooke."

"I know," Brooke said. "But I had to talk to you, to know you were okay."

"I'm okay," Peyton told her. "I love you, Brooke Penelope Davis."

"I love you, too, Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer."

After they'd hung up Brooke walked to the deck and looked out at the water. Peyton had laughed, but she'd heard the hurt in her voice. Brooke hated that she was part of the reason it was there. "Brooke," she heard Lucas calling from inside the house.

"Out here!" she called.

"Hey," he told her, walking up to her and wrapping his arms around her.

Brooke leaned back into him, sighing. "Hey," she said, smiling.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Just thinking," she said.

"You seem to be thinking a lot lately," he remarked.

Brooke nodded. "I've had a lot on my mind."

"Want to take a walk on the beach?"

"Sure," she told him. She took her shoes off and they held hands as they walked down the steps and into the sand. "I love the feel of the sand."

Lucas smiled. "I can't think about the beach without thinking about you," he told her.

Brooke laughed. "Really? Why?"

He shrugged. "We've spent a lot of time on the beach." Brooke nodded. "The way the water sparkles always reminds me of your eyes."

Brooke looked at him. "Really?"

He nodded. "Really. It always has."

They walked for a few minutes, and then sat down by the water. "I don't want to leave here," she said suddenly.

"What?" he asked.

"I want to stay in Tree Hill. Forever."

Lucas watched her in the moonlight. "Me too," he said.

"Good," Brooke told him, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Is Victoria going to be okay with that?"

"She's coming around," Brooke told him.

"She scares me a little," Lucas admitted with a chuckle.

"Tell her that," Brooke told him. "It'll make her happy."

"What will make you happy?" he asked her.

"I have a list," she said.

"Oh yeah? Let's hear it."

Brooke straightened, excited. "I want to start a new line for men. It'll be Clothes _for_ Bros. Not right now, because we're still building up our other line. But in the future, I think it could work." She grinned at him. "And you can model all of the designs for me."

"Why, Ms. Davis, I'd love to," he told her.

"Good," she told him. "I want to have a good relationship with Victoria. I want us to be like a family."

"That makes sense," he told her. "What else?"

"I want to marry you, Lucas Scott," she told him.

"That would make you happy?"

She nodded. "So happy," she whispered, leaning over to brush her lips against his.

His phone rang. "Crap," he groaned. Seeing it was Skills, he almost ignored it. "Yeah?" he said.

"Luke," Skills said, his voice catching on a sob. "Q's been shot. He's in bad shape."

"What?" Lucas asked, straightening up. "What are you talking about?"

Brooke watched him as he talked on the phone. Something was very wrong. "I'll be there as soon as I can," Lucas said into the phone.

"What is it?" Brooke asked when he'd hung up. "What happened?"

Lucas put his face in his hands. "Quentin was shot," he told her. "He might not live."

Brooke stared at him, shocked. "What?"

"Someone shot him," Lucas said, looking at her. "Someone was robbing the gas station and shot him."

"Oh no," Brooke said, putting her arms around him. "Do they know who it was?"

Lucas shook his head. "They don't know."

"Where are we going?" she asked, standing up.

"I have to go to the hospital," he told her. "Some of the boys have gathered there, and Q's mother will be there." He looked at her. "You don't have to come, Brooke."

"I'm coming," she told him. "You need me."

Lucas kissed her softly, squeezing her hands. "Thank you."

Brooke nodded. "Let's go. I'll call Nathan and Haley on the way," she told him. "They'll both want to know."

Lucas nodded. In the short time they'd known him, Quentin had become an important part of all of their lives. "I don't want to lose him, Brooke."

"We won't," she told him. "We won't let him go."

He looked over at her, thinking again how lucky he was to have her. "I love you."

Brooke smiled at him. "I love you, too."

Everything was going to be okay.


	12. Chapter 12

Lucas walked into the waiting room and found Brooke curled up into a chair, sleeping. He couldn't believe that she'd stayed; he would have never asked her to, but he was so glad she did. She gave him strength just by holding his hand. She'd comforted Q's mother, made the boys on the team laugh, called Nathan and Haley and held Skills hand, crying with him. She was everything he'd never even known he needed.

"Luke," she said sleepily, putting her feet on the floor and sitting up as he sat beside her. "Any news?"

He shook his head. "He's still in critical condition," he told her. "Are you sure you want to stay?"

Brooke nodded. "We'll stay until we know he's safe," she told him.

Lucas smiled. Brooke refused to entertain the idea that Q wouldn't be okay, and somehow her conviction had made its way into his heart. "Okay," he told her, pulling her close to him and kissing her forehead. "When's the last time you talked to Haley?"

"They were about an hour out of town," Brooke told him, covering his legs with the blanket she'd been using.

"I hate that they have to cut their weekend short for something like this," Lucas said.

"They need to be here, just like you," Brooke told him. She smiled. "He's going to be okay, Luke."

"I hope so," he told her. He looked around the waiting room. "I don't like being back here."

Brooke nodded, sighing. "We should just pay rent," she said sadly.

"Speaking of paying rent," he said, turning to face her. "Have you given any thought to where you want to live after we're married?" Brooke just looked at him for a minute. "What?" he asked.

A large smile moved across her face. "We're getting married," she said.

Lucas smiled back at her. "We are."

"We'll have to wait until Quentin is better," she told him. "And Peyton has to be here."

Lucas nodded. "Okay."

"Karen will probably want her house back eventually, right?" Brooke asked him. She sat up suddenly. "Karen!"

"What?" Lucas asked her, confused.

"Have you told your mom that we're getting married?"

Lucas shook his head. "I left her a message but she's not called me back. They go for weeks without cell phone service."

"Do you think she'll be disappointed?" Brooke whispered.

"Why would she be disappointed?"

Brooke shrugged. "I know Karen loves me, but what if she wanted you to marry Peyton? Or Lindsay?"

Lucas shook his head, smiling. "My mom has always been very "Team Brooke,"" he told her.

Brooke smiled, nodding. "She's a good woman."

Lucas laughed quietly. "You're right, though, that she may eventually want her house back. She loves Andy's house, but our house is really her home."

"It's a good thing your future wife already has a house then, isn't it?" she asked him, winking.

"A very good thing," Lucas said. "I guess that answers that question." He looked at her. "There are still a lot of things we need to figure out."

"I know," she told him. "And we will. We've got plenty of time."

Lucas watched her. "I can't wait, Brooke. I feel like I've waited too long already."

"That's your fault," she teased.

Lucas sighed, nodding. "It is." He continued to look at her intently. "If I ever do anything or say anything that hurts you or makes you doubt me, promise me that you'll tell me and we can fix it. Don't ever just leave me again without telling me why. We can't lose this again."

Brooke nodded, leaning over to kiss him softly. "I'm not that same insecure girl, Luke. I know where your heart is now. I promise, if I ever doubt it or if I'm even just a little confused, you're the first person I'll tell."

"Your lips are so warm," he said, his fingers on her chin gently holding her face close to his. "You're always so warm."

Brooke smiled. "I'm freezing!" she told him.

He nodded. "I've always hated how cold it is in here." He rubbed her arms. "Brooke, you really don't have to stay."

"If you're here, I'm here," she told him. "I'm not leaving you."

And she wouldn't. Lucas knew that as long as he stayed at the hospital, Brooke would stay by his side. He hadn't realized how important that was until now. His phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket. "Speak of the devil," he said to Brooke, smiling. "It's mom."

Brooke sat up straighter. "Well answer it!"

"Hey mom," he said into the phone, taking Brooke's hand.

"Lucas," Karen said, smiling. "It's so good to hear your voice."

"It's good to hear yours too," he told her. "Where are you guys?"

"That's actually why I'm calling," Karen told him. "We're on our way home!" Before Lucas had time to comment, she continued, "How are things there? How's the team?"

Lucas sighed. "The team's good," he told her. "There's been some trouble, though." Brooke squeezed his hand. "Quentin has been shot. We're at the hospital now."

Karen gasped. "Oh no, will he be okay?" she asked.

"I hope so," Lucas told her.

She moved away from the phone to whisper to Andy. "Andy wants to know if there's anything we can do?"

"It's just a waiting game right now."

"Wait, you said "we,"" Karen said. "Are Nathan and Haley with you?"

"They're on their way," Lucas told her. "Brooke's with me."

"Brooke," Karen said, smiling. "How is she?"

Lucas was going to reply but Brooke held her hand out for the phone. "Karen?" she said into it.

"Hello Brooke," Karen told her warmly. "Thank you for being there with Lucas."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else," Brooke said.

"We're coming home," Karen told her. "We should be there in a few days."

"Good," Brooke told her, looking at Lucas. "I'll take care of him until you get here."

"I know you will," Karen told her. "How's he doing?"

"Besides everything with Q, really great," Brooke said.

"Really? When I last talked to him, he was still a little down. How's Angie?"

Brooke sucked in a breath. "She's really great, too," she told Karen. "She had her surgery and is back with her family now." It still hurt her to think about the little girl. With everything that had gone on the last few days she'd been able to stay busy; every time she thought of Angie, though, her heart broke all over again.

"Oh, Brooke, I'm sorry," Karen told her. "I know how much you loved her. Lucas talked about the two of you often."

"I did love her," Brooke said. "I always will. But I knew from the start that I'd only have her for a while."

"It still hurts though, doesn't it?"

"It does," Brooke said, nodding. "So much."

"How's Luke taking it?"

"He misses her too," Brooke said, looking over at Lucas. She'd seen him staring at a picture of the little girl earlier. She knew he'd loved Angie, too.

"Children find their way into our hearts and then they never leave," Karen said. She laughed a little. "Like you. You've been in my heart since you were a teenager."

"It works both ways," Brooke told her. "You've been in mine."

"You take care of our Luke until I get there, okay?" Karen told her.

"I will," Brooke promised.

"Do you think we should have told her?" Lucas asked when Brooke had hung up.

Brooke shook her head. "That's not something you should tell your mother over the phone."

"You're right," he told her. They sat in silence for a moment and he smiled.

"What?" Brooke asked him.

"She's going to be so happy," Lucas told her.

"So are we," she said, kissing him. As she leaned her head on his shoulder, she thought about all of the things they'd still not talked about…and prayed what she'd said was true.


	13. Chapter 13

"Hey," Millie said to Brooke, walking into the back of the store. "You working?"

Brooke looked down at the sketches on the table. "I've been trying to," she told her friend. "I haven't gotten much done, though."

"How's Q?" Millie asked, sitting beside her friend/boss.

"He's not awake, but they think he's going to make it," Brooke told her.

"You were right," Millie said, smiling.

Brooke nodded. "Thank goodness." She took a sip of her coffee. "So what's up?"

"I saw Peyton's car at Tric when I passed it," Millie told her. "I thought I'd let you know she's in town."

"Is she?" Brooke asked, surprised. "She hasn't called or anything." That hurt.

"Maybe she just got in," Millie said.

"Maybe," Brooke said. "Do you think I should go see her?"

Millie shrugged. "Do you think you should go see her?"

Brooke frowned. "I wonder if Lucas knows she's back."

"Probably not," Millie said, looking at the sketches.

"Maybe he should go see her," Brooke mused.

"That's dumb," Millie said off-handedly, still looking at the sketches. "These are really good, Brooke."

"You're right," Brooke said, then smiled. "On both counts."

"Has Victoria seen them?"

"No, but she'll be here in a few days." She sat up. "I think I'll go see Haley, and then maybe we can go by and see Peyton together."

Millie nodded. "That sounds good," she said.

"Hey," they heard from the front of the store.

"Or maybe Haley will come see me," Brooke said, smiling. "We're back here!" she called to her friend. When Haley came around the corner, Brooke winked at her. "You're just the person I wanted to see."

"Really?" Haley asked, sitting at the table. "Hey Mill."

"Hey," Millie said, smiling at the other woman.

"What's wrong?" Brooke asked Haley, noticing the frown on her friends face.

"It's probably nothing…"Haley said, then shook her head. "Dan is missing."

"Dan Scott?" Brooke asked, confused.

"Yeah," Haley said.

"And that's a bad thing?"

Haley sighed. "I don't know…I shouldn't be worried about him, right?"

Brooke watched her for a moment. "But you are. You care about him," she said, frowning.

Haley nodded slightly. "He's so good with Jamie…and he seems so different. I really think he regrets what he did," she said.

"He killed Keith," Brooke said flatly.

"I know that," Haley said. "I know I should hate him. I know."

They sat for a moment, the silence uncomfortable. "I loved Keith," Brooke said lowly. "And I know you did too." Haley nodded. "If you care about Dan, that means that there must be something worth caring about."

Haley looked at Brooke, her eyes watering slightly. "You don't think I'm crazy? You don't hate me?"

Brooke smiled. "No, I think you're completely crazy. But I love you, and I trust your instincts."

"Thanks," Haley said, relieved. "I know Nathan wouldn't feel the same way."

"So what are you going to do?" Millie asked Haley.

Haley shrugged. "I'm not sure yet," she answered. She looked at Brooke. "Why did you want to see me?"

"Millie said that Peyton's car is at the studio," Brooke told her.

"Really? She didn't call me," Haley said.

"She didn't call me either," Brooke told her. "Do you think you should go by to see her?"

"Me?" Haley asked. "Alone? Why don't you come too?"

"Should I?"

"If I go, you should go too," Haley told her.

"I hoped you would say that," Brooke said. "I really, really want to talk to her. I need to make sure she's okay."

"Did you want to go now?"

Brooke nodded. "Millie, you can watch the store, right?"

"I've got it," Millie told her with a smile.

After they'd gotten into the car, Brooke looked at her friend. "Why do you think Dan's missing?"

"There was a heart available," Haley told her. "But Dan never showed up to get it."

"That definitely doesn't sound like Dan," Brooke said. She looked out the window.

"Are you nervous?" Haley asked her.

"A little," Brooke admitted. "I'm not sure what to say. What if she really doesn't want to see me?"

"Then it will be awkward," Haley said. "But you won't know until you try."

"I guess," Brooke said.

"Do you want to turn back?"

"No!" Brooke said. "Yes. No."

Haley laughed. "Okay then."

Brooke sighed. "I'm happy, Hales. So happy. But if me being happy makes Peyton miserable…how can I live with that?"

"Brooke, you can't live your life to make other people happy," Haley told her as they pulled up to the studio. "You have to do what's right for you and hope for the best."

Brooke looked at Peyton's car and took a deep breath. "I hope you're right," she mumbled as they got out of the car.

Brooke took Haley's hand when they got to the door. "It's okay," Haley told her quietly, opening the door.

Peyton was standing at the pool table, her back to them as they walked in. "Peyton?" Brooke said.

Peyton turned around and stared at them. "Brooke? Haley?"

"Hey," Haley said with a small smile. "We heard you were back…"

"Hey," Peyton said, hugging both women. "You guys will never believe what happened!"

"What?" Brooke asked, confused at her friends excitement.

"Mick Wolf was just here," Peyton told them.

"Who?" Brooke asked, looking at Haley.

"Really? Mick Wolf? What did he want?" Haley asked.

"Mick Wolf is a famous musician," Peyton told Brooke as they walked to Peyton's desk. She sat on the edge of it and they sat in the chairs in front of it. "He's the reason I'm back. He called, said he needed to meet with me. He knew Ellie."

"Really? Peyton, that's great," Brooke said. "A little odd, but great."

Peyton nodded. "That's what I thought, too," she said. She thought for a moment. "There's something about him," she said, almost to herself. "Something about the way he talks about Ellie makes me think that she was really important to him." She looked at her friends. "I know this may sound crazy, but what if he's my dad?"

"Larry is your dad," Brooke said.

"I know," Peyton said. "But what if Mick Wolf is my biological father?"

Brooke and Haley looked at each other. "Why would you think that?" Haley asked her.

Peyton shrugged. "I really don't know," she said. "It's just a feeling I get."

"Would you be happy if he was?" Brooke asked her.

Peyton smiled. "I think so."

"Then I'll be happy for you," Brooke told her.

"Are you going to ask him?" Haley asked her.

"I'm not sure how to do it," Peyton told them. "He'll be back tomorrow. Maybe I can ask him then."

"How was the band in Tennessee?" Haley asked her.

"Really good," Peyton told them. "Their lead singer was away, so I didn't get to meet him. I told them that when he's back they need to come up, maybe record something. All of their tracks I listened to were great." She frowned. "They remind me a band I've heard, but I can't place it."

Haley's phone rang and she stood up. "It's Deb," she said. "I'll just be a moment."

When she'd left the room, Brooke looked at Peyton. "I'm glad you're back," she told her friend.

Peyton nodded. "I wasn't gone for as long as I'd meant to be," she said, "but I'm glad I'm back too."

"It's really cool that you may find out who your biological father is."

Peyton smiled. "It is." She looked at her friend. "Don't worry about me, Brooke," she told her. "I'm going to be okay."

"Really?" Brooke asked her.

"Really," Peyton told her. "Where's Lucas today?"

"At the gym with the boys," Brooke told him. She sighed. "It feels so weird to me," she told her friend. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say or do."

"Just be happy," Peyton told her. "I want nothing more than for you to both be happy."

"Together?"

Peyton laughed a little. "I've had some trouble with that in the past, but yes," she said. "Together."

"I really do love him," Brooke told her.

"I know you do," Peyton told her. "And he really loves you."

Haley walked back into the room. "I'm sorry," she said, "but I'm going to have to go. Deb had something come up and has to leave, so I need to go get Jamie."

Brooke stood up and hugged Peyton again. "I love you, P. Sawyer," she said.

"I love you, too, B. Davis," Peyton said, hugging her back.

"And I love you both," Haley said, smiling.

When they were back in the car Brooke started grinning as she buckled her seat belt. "What are you grinning about?" Haley asked her, smiling.

"A week ago I was a depressed mess," Brooke told her friend. "Now I have a mother, the love of my life, and still have my two best friends. It's just funny, the way things can change. I'm happy."

"I'm glad," Haley told her. "It's about time."

Brooke nodded, looking at her friend. "It really is."


	14. Chapter 14

Brooke turned to smile at Lucas when he opened the back door. "What are you so happy about?" he asked her, walking up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"So many things," Brooke told him, leaning back against his chest. They stood on the deck outside her house and watched the light bounce off the water. Lucas closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He'd had a long day, but holding Brooke he felt the tension slowly easing out of his body. "How are the guys?" she asked him.

"In love with my fiancé," Lucas told her, smiling.

Brooke laughed and turned around in his arms. "They have good taste," she told him.

"That's what I told them," he said, leaning down to kiss her. Brooke rose on her toes and deepened the kiss. Pulling away, he looked into her face. Her bruises were still there, but faint. She was healing. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she told him. "I talked to Peyton today."

"Yeah? How's Tennessee?"

"She's back in town," Brooke told him.

"Oh," Lucas said. "So you saw her?"

Brooke nodded. "She says she's okay with us."

Lucas looked at her. "Are you okay with her being okay with us?"

Brooke cocked her head to the side, smiling. "I'm more than okay with it."

Lucas kissed her again, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against hers. "I don't ever want you to feel guilty about us," he told her. "I don't ever want you to doubt us."

"I don't," she told him. "I won't." She sighed and put her head against his chest. "Luke…"

He pulled back and looked at her. "What?" His chest tightened as he recognized the same tone she'd used the other day when she'd wanted to tell him something.

"I have to talk to you about something," she told him. She looked into his eyes. "And it scares me."

"You can tell me anything," he told her.

"I'm afraid you'll be angry," she said, looking away. "Or hate me," she finished quietly, tears in her eyes.

"Brooke, I could never hate you," Lucas told her, moving her chin so that she was again looking into his eyes. "Tell me," he said.

"Before we broke up, when we were at the wedding…I wanted to tell you, but then there was Peyton and then the wreck and Rachel was just crazy…"

"Brooke," he said, smiling slightly. "What is it?"

"I was pregnant," she told him, a tear falling down her cheek.

Lucas stared at her in shock. "What?" Out of all the things he'd imagined, this hadn't even crossed his mind.

"I was pregnant and I was scared and I didn't know what to do," she told him, the tears now falling in earnest. "You were gone and everything was a mess and I didn't know what to do…"

Lucas stepped back, shaking his head. "Brooke, you didn't…" He took a breath. "What happened?"

"I was so stupid," she told him. "I knew I was pregnant but I hadn't told anyone and I didn't want anyone to know so I acted like everything was okay. And then I found out that Haley was pregnant, too. I thought everything was going to be okay." She looked at him. "And I thought I was going to have to do it without you. Peyton had told me that she still loved you, and you didn't call me when you were gone…I felt like I'd lost you."

The pain in her voice broke his heart. No matter what she'd done, it was his fault for making her go through it alone. "Brooke," Lucas whispered, pulling her close to him. "I'm so sorry."

Brooke cried into his chest. "I didn't mean for it to happen," she told him.

Lucas held her tightly. "I know," he told her. "And I should have been there for you." He had never hated himself more than he did right now. Brooke had been pregnant with his child and he'd all but abandoned her. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "I was showing off, acting crazy. Rachel and Bevin were saying that I'd lost my edge and that I wasn't a great cheerleader anymore. They were just joking around, but I felt like everything was falling apart around me and I wanted to still be good at something, you know?" She pulled back to look up at him. Lucas nodded, using his thumbs to wipe the tears off of her cheeks. "I was doing a few flips and some guy ran into me, knocking me into a bench." She closed her eyes. "Haley realized what had happened before I did. I just knew it hurt," she told him. "The blood…"

"Stop, Brooke," he said, kissing her lips and her cheeks. "God, I'm so sorry."

"I lost our baby, Luke," she said, looking at him. "How can you ever forgive me?"

Lucas held her close, closing his eyes. He'd thought…he was ashamed he'd thought that Brooke would ever have an abortion. He knew her better than that. "It's my fault, Brooke. If I hadn't made you feel that way…if I'd just let you know what was going on with me…" He felt the sting of tears in his eyes.

"You don't hate me?" she asked him, holding her breath.

Lucas shook his head, leaning down to kiss her. "I told you, Pretty Girl; I could never hate you."

She nodded, looking down. "I should have told you."

"Yeah," Lucas said. "But you're telling me now."

She looked up at him. "I blamed you for a while," she admitted. "It wasn't your fault, but I was so upset…"

"I didn't understand why you were so mad at me," he told her. "I couldn't figure it out."

"I'm not going to keep things from you anymore," she told him. She smiled a little. "Are you sure you're ready to always know when Brooke Davis is angry?"

"I think I can handle it," he told her. He couldn't get the image of a hurt and alone teenage Brooke out of his head. And while she'd been going through that, he'd left her alone. He was such an idiot.

"Don't," Brooke told him.

"What?"

"Don't start blaming yourself," she told him. He just looked at her. "I know what it looks like; I've done enough of it for both of us." She smiled sadly at him. "I pushed you away. I didn't want you to feel obligated towards me if Peyton was who you really wanted to be with. I didn't want me or the baby to tie you down."

"You're all I ever wanted," he told her, his throat working. "I was so hurt, but I should have kept trying. I shouldn't have let you push me away. I should have seen how scared you were."

"You're not a mind reader," Brooke told him.

"Neither are you," he said. His arms tightened around here. "We really messed up the first time around."

"That was actually the second time around," she reminded him. "And we've decided that third time's a charm."

"You're my charm," he told her. "Come in, I brought take out."

"I knew I had you around for a reason," she told him, grinning as she took his hand.

"I also had something I wanted to tell you."

"Oh yeah?" she said, taking her shoes off at the door. "What's that?"

"Lindsay called on my way home. She's going to be in Tree Hill tomorrow and needs to talk to me. I told her to just come by here."

Brooke sat down at the bar. "Did you tell her about us?"

"No, she was in a hurry and just had a moment. I figured we could tell her together." He looked at her. "If that's okay? I can meet her somewhere else if you'd rather."

"No, that's fine," Brooke told him. "I really liked Lindsay."

"I know you did," Lucas said with a smile. "You really like everyone."

"Well that's just not true," Brooke told him.

"Who don't you like?"

"One of Haley's students."

"Really?" Lucas asked, getting two plates out of the cabinet and putting them on the bar. "Why?"

"She came into the store and stole some of my clothes. When I confronted her, she pushed me and ran off with the shirt she'd stuffed into her backpack." She sighed. "I don't really dislike her, I guess. I don't like her actions, though."

"I didn't know about that," Lucas told her. "I'm sorry."

Brooke shrugged. "I was a teenager once, too."

"But you never…" he looked at her, and smiled. "Never mind."

Brooke laughed. "Mmm hmm."

They talked as they ate, Brooke wanting to know about Q and Lucas wanting to know when her mother would be coming in. When they were finished, Lucas put their plates in the dishwasher as Brooke put up the leftover food. "I'm going to go by and see Q tomorrow," she told him.

"He's not awake," Lucas reminded her.

"I know that," she said, shutting the refrigerator. "But I'm going to take a book and read to him."

"What book?" Lucas asked her.

"Les Miserables," she told him. "Haley said he'd been reading it."

"You don't have to do that," Lucas told her.

"I know I don't have to," Brooke told him. "I want to."

Lucas leaned against the counter. "I don't know how I ever made it without you."

"I don't know either," Brooke told him, laughing. "You, sir, are a hot mess."

"Am I?" he asked, pulling her to him. His face inches from hers, he looked down into her eyes. "I know you're still healing," he whispered, his lips brushing against hers, "but you need to know that I'm dying from wanting you."

Brooke sucked in a breath, a shock of heat rolling through her body. "Luke," she said, moving even closer to him. "I'm not going to break."

"I know," he said. "But you're hurt. I've been trying to keep my distance…but holding you every night and feeling how soft your skin is…" he slid his hands up her arms, "and breathing in your scent…and listening to the sounds you make while you're sleeping…"

His head moved lower with each word until his lips covered hers. Brooke wrapped her arms around his waist, her lips opening under his. As he deepened the kiss, her hands moved under his shirt to caress his back. She felt his muscles tightening under her hands and smiled. They'd always had this effect on each other, and it's something she'd desperately missed.

"Brooke," he said, breathing hard as he broke their kiss. She looked up at him. "I didn't sleep with Peyton," he told her.

"What?" she asked, confused and slightly dizzy.

"I just wanted you to know that when Peyton and I were in Vegas, we didn't sleep together. It didn't feel right."

Brooke closed her eyes, putting her head against his chest. She hadn't asked because she hadn't wanted to know. She and Lucas weren't together at the time, but it still would have hurt. "Let's go to bed," she said, looking up at him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." She let out a startled laugh when he picked her up and carried her to her room. "What are you doing?"

Lucas didn't smile as he looked down at her, and the heat in his eyes caused Brooke's smile to slip. "Luke," she said.

He gently sat her on the edge of the bed, then stepped back to pull his shirt over his head. Brooke reached for him, running her hands over his chest and stomach. When her hand reached his pants, she grabbed his belt loop and pulled him closer. When he stood between her legs she kissed his skin with hot open mouthed kisses, starting on his stomach and moving up his body. When she reached his chest, he leaned over, pushing her down onto the bed. "I love you," he told her, trailing kisses along her jaw and down her neck.

Brooke moved under him, pulling at her shirt. Lucas chuckled at the impatient noises she was making. He took her hands, stilling them. Brooke pouted until his hands moved to the hem of her shirt and he pulled it slowly up and over her head. When she lay back on the bed, his lips moved along her throat and down her chest. His hands worked at the front clasp of her bra, pushing it aside when it came undone.

Brooke gasped has his tongue ran across one breast, then the other. When his teeth scraped her skin, she almost screamed. Lucas smiled against her neck, whispering, "You're still so beautiful," in her ear.

Brooke wasn't sure why there were suddenly tears in her eyes, or a lump in her throat. She loved him so much it was almost like a physical pain; she'd needed this, needed him. "Brooke?" he asked, looking into her eyes. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, wrapping her arms around his body and holding him against her. When she could speak she said, "I love you so much. I've missed you."

Lucas nodded, understanding. "I've missed you, too, Pretty Girl," he told her. His fingers tightened in the sheet as her lips roamed across his shoulder.

"I need you," Brooke told him, dropping her head to look at him. "Luke, I need you."

He understood. He'd been without her for too long. Brooke's love filled up even the darkest places of his heart- places that had been empty for far too long. His lips brushed hers as he removed the rest of their clothes, both sighing when they were skin to skin.

He felt like fire; his skin burned hers where they touched. She wrapped her legs around him as she held him, pulling him closer. Her breath caught as his hand moved between them, touching her. She opened her mouth to moan and his lips covered hers, his tongue sliding into her mouth as he slid inside her.

They both stilled as she stretched around him, and Lucas lifted his head to look into her eyes. He moved slightly and she gasped, lifting her hips to meet his. He started moving, each thrust deeper than the last. His fingers still moved in slow circles between them, causing waves of heat to flow through her body. She dug her nails into his back as she moved into him, silently urging him to move faster.

Lucas couldn't breathe. Watching Brooke's face as she teetered close to the edge was almost enough to push him over. In the soft light coming through her bedroom window her eyes sparkled; the same eyes that had haunted his dreams and waking hours for years. She was everything to him, and she was finally, finally his.

Brooke's body tightened for a second, and then the heat poured through her. She cried out, pulling Lucas's head down to hers, catching his lips in a kiss. As her body moved wildly under him and she clenched around him he pushed passed the edge, the world spinning around him as he found his release.

After a moment he realized that Brooke was crying. "Oh God," he said, looking down at her. "Did I hurt you? Are you okay?"

Brooke wrapped her arms around him, pulling him down on top of her. Fearing he was too heavy, he tried to move to the side but she wouldn't let go of him. "Brooke," he said softly.

"I've missed you," she told him again.

Lucas nodded, pulling the blanket up over them both. "You'll never have to miss me again," he told her, moving to his side and taking her with him. "I'm home."


	15. Chapter 15

Brooke smiled to a nurse as she walked down the hallway towards Q's room. She'd woken up in Lucas's arms and she really hadn't wanted to get up. She had things to do before Lindsay came over, though, so she'd forced herself to move.

Lucas's arms had tightened around her and he'd pulled her back against him. "Stay," he said huskily, still partially asleep.

Brooke smiled. "I want to," she told him, turning in his arms to look at him. "I have to go, though. And you need to get up."

Lucas had cracked open an eye. "Five more minutes?"

Brooke had laughed and spent the next five minutes making out with her incredibly sexy fiancé. He'd pouted when she'd gotten out of the bed. "I'll meet you back at the house around three, okay?"

Lucas nodded. "Skills and Nate can handle practice today. Lindsay will be here around 3:30."

Lindsay. Brooke walked into Q's room and sat down beside the bed. "I really like Lindsay," she told the unconscious boy. "I don't want to hurt her." She sighed. "But she'll have to find out, and I'd rather be the one to tell her." She looked at the book she'd brought. "I remember Lucas reading this book when we were in high school." She smiled a little. "He was always reading something. I loved that about him." Quentin remained silent. "I don't know why I'm telling you these things; even if you can hear me, you probably don't care…" She frowned and put her hand over his. "You're going to be okay, Quentin. I know everyone is worried and thinking that you're not going to make it…but I know you will. I don't know how or why, but I just know." She opened the book and began at the beginning; she wasn't sure what part of the book he was in and she didn't want to skip anything. Besides, she really wanted to read the book for herself.

After she'd been reading for about an hour a young male nurse walked into the room. "Hey," Brooke said, startling him.

"Hey," he said, walking back out of the room. "Sorry, didn't know anyone was in here."

"Do you need to check something?" Brooke asked him. "Should I leave? The other nurse was in here a few minutes ago, so I think he's okay."

"Wrong room," the man said, leaving.

Brooke frowned as he left, feeling uneasy. He'd reminded her of someone and he seemed extremely nervous. Shrugging, she turned back to the book and continued the story. She liked it more than she'd thought she would, and she hoped that somehow Quentin was able to enjoy it as well.

Thirty minutes later she put the bookmark in the book and stood, stretching. "If I can, I'll come back later," she told the unconscious boy. She leaned down and kissed his cheek, then got her things together. "If not, I'll be here tomorrow. I'd like to hear your thoughts on the book, Quentin. That's going to happen, okay?"

Leaving his room, she found Mrs. Fields and a nurse talking in the hallway outside his door. "Hello, Ms. Davis," Quentin's mother said. "I see you've been reading to my son."

Brooke nodded, looking down at the book. "Haley said he was enjoying this story," she told the older woman. She looked at the nurse, then back at Q's mom. "I don't know if this is a big deal," she said, "but earlier a male nurse came into the room and left quickly. He seemed upset."

The nurse frowned. "There weren't any male nurses on shift this morning," she told the other two women. "What made you think he was a nurse?"

"He was wearing scrubs and holding a clipboard," Brooke told her. "He said he had the wrong room."

The nurse frowned. "Let me check something," she told Brooke and Mrs. Fields.

After she'd walked off, Brooke smiled a little at the other woman. "I'm sure it's not a big deal," she said again.

"But it didn't feel right," Mrs. Fields said, studying Brooke.

"It didn't," Brooke said with a slight nod.

"Thank you for saying something," Mrs. Fields told her. "And for taking the time to read to my son."

Before Brooke could answer, the nurse came back with a security guard. "I checked the schedule," she told the women, "and there isn't a male nurse on shift until this afternoon. I called him to see if he'd been in for any reason and he said that he hadn't." The security guard walked into Quentin's room, leaving the women alone.

Brooke had been expecting this news, but still felt a thrill of fear as the nurse spoke. "So what are you going to do?" she asked the nurse.

"We'll have a guard set up at the door until the police get here. We'll do whatever they think should be done."

"Is my son in danger?" Mrs. Fields asked the nurse.

"I don't know," the nurse told her honestly. "But we're going to do our best to keep him safe." She looked at Brooke. "The police may want to talk to you later to get a description of the man that came into the room."

Brooke nodded and handed the nurse one of her cards. "Tell them to call me any time," she told her. She looked at Mrs. Fields. "I'm sorry about all of this."

Mrs. Fields hugged her, surprising Brooke. "Thank you," she said, wiping a tear off of her face. "Thank you for caring about my son."

Brooke smiled, hugging her back. "Everyone cares about him," she told the woman. "He's a good kid." She pulled away, pulling her bag up on her shoulder. "Call me or Lucas if you need anything, okay?" Mrs. Fields nodded and Brooke looked at the nurse. "Thanks for your help," she said.

As she was leaving the hospital she wondered if she should call Lucas and tell him about the nurse, but decided to wait until she saw him. Her phone rang when she got into the car and she smiled as she answered it. "Haley," she said. "How are you?"

"Not good," Haley told her. "Listen, Brooke? Is there any way you can come by the school? I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."

"Sure," Brooke told her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Haley told her.

"Okay, I'll swing by there."

"Thank you," Haley told her, relief clear in her voice.

Brooke pulled into the school parking lot and walked into the front, signing in. Going down the hall, she smiled at how little the building had changed. Students will come and go, but Tree Hill High will stay the same.

"Hey Hales," she said, walking into Haley's room. "And hellooo trouble," she added, noticing the young girl sitting at a desk in the back. She looked at Haley, confused. "What's up?"

"This is Samantha," Haley told her. "Samantha, this is my friend Brooke."

Samantha didn't look up. Brooke rolled her eyes. "Good to meet you, too, kid." She sent Haley another questioning look.

"We're going to step out into the hall, Sam," Haley told the girl. She didn't move. Haley sighed and followed Brooke out of the hallway, shutting the door behind her.

"What did Satan do this time?" Brooke asked Haley.

"Samantha," Haley corrected.

"Is there a difference?"

"I think so," Haley said, then made a face. "I hope so."

"So, what's up?"

"I found her sleeping in one of the cars in shop class," Haley told Brooke.

Brooke frowned. "Well…crap."

"Yeah," Haley said, nodding. "She has a foster home, but things there are…strained. She spends most of her nights finding some other place to sleep."

"Don't her foster parents care?" Brooke asked, feeling sorry for the girl despite her best efforts not to.

"I don't think they realize it," Haley said.

"Can't she change foster parents?"

Haley sighed. "She could, but what if the next ones are worse? It's always a crapshoot."

"This is all very sad, Haley, but I'm not sure why you called me."

"Samantha has an aunt, but she hasn't been able to find her. If she can locate the woman and the aunt is willing, Samantha can go live with her."

"Would she want to live with the aunt? Why didn't the aunt come to take care of her before now?"

"Samantha's mother was on drugs and was estranged from the family. Samantha remembers that her aunt tried to get custody of her when she was younger, but her mother packed them up and moved."

"I guess that makes sense," Brooke said. "Do you want me to help her find her aunt?"

"No, we're working on that. Sam's mom changed their name and she's not sure what her aunt's last name was, or where they lived at the time." Haley sighed. "I know it's a horrible time to ask and that you have so much going on…"

Brooke's eyes widened and she shook her head. "Oh no," she said. "No, no, no."

"Brooke, she's sleeping in a car," Haley said.

"Why can't she stay with you guys?" Brooke asked, and then sighed. "Because Jamie is still nervous about new people staying in the house."

Haley nodded. "I really wouldn't ask, Brooke, if I didn't think it was important."

"The kid hates me," Brooke reminded Haley. "She stole from me, pushed me."

"She's sorry," Haley told her. Brooke snorted. "No, honestly, Brooke, she is. She told me."

"She didn't tell me."

"You haven't seen her again until today," Haley said.

"Good point." Brooke made a face. "Man," she whined. "I'm going to do this, aren't I?"

Haley smiled. "Yes."

"You better love me, Haley James Scott."

"I do," Haley told her. She grabbed Brooke in a hug. "Thank you so much."

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, have you heard from Dan?"

"No, and I'm starting to get really worried. I haven't mentioned it to Nathan yet."

"I'll talk to Lucas tonight," Brooke said. "I meant to last night and we got caught up with…things."

Haley made another face. "Over share!"

Brooke laughed. "Sorry."

Haley studied Brooke's face. "You're happy, aren't you?" she said with a smile.

Brooke nodded, grinning. "Oh, and I went by to see Quentin."

"How's he doing?"

Brooke shrugged. "He's the same." She told Haley about the male nurse.

"That's weird," Haley said.

"I know," Brooke said. "He gave me the creeps." She looked at the classroom door. "I guess we should get this over with."

"Do you think Lucas will mind?"

"Oh wow," Brooke said. "I didn't even think about asking him." She grimaced. "I'm not used to anyone caring what I do." She thought for a moment. "He'll be okay with it."

"Yeah," Haley said, nodding. "I think he will be too."

"Such a good heart, our Lucas has," Brooke said, walking into the room. "Did Haley tell you the plan?" she asked the girl.

"I don't want to stay with you," Samantha said, glaring at Brooke from her desk. "I can take care of myself."

"Sleeping in a car at the school isn't exactly taking care of yourself," Brooke said, walking to the girl's desk.

Samantha shrugged. "It's better than nothing."

"Well, there's a free bed at my house," Brooke told her, "and it's a lot better than nothing."

Samantha was silent for a moment and Brooke sat down in front of her. "I know we got off on the wrong foot," she said softly, "but I'm really just trying to help you here."

"I'm sorry I stole the shirt," Samantha said, not looking at Brooke.

"Thank you for your apology," Brooke told her. She stood up. "Haley will give you my address. I hope to see you tonight."

"That's it?" Samantha asked.

Brooke nodded. "That's it. When you get there we'll talk about rules and dinner schedules, things like that."

"You don't have to feed me," Sam mumbled.

"I know," Brooke told her. "But we're going to eat anyway. You may as well not starve." Sam looked up at Brooke and Brooke winked at the girl. Sam nodded and Brooke walked towards the door, waving to Haley. "I'll talk to you later tonight, okay? Oh, and Lindsay is coming over to the house in a few hours."

"Lindsay? Why?"

Brooke shrugged. "She's still Luke's editor."

Haley nodded. "You going to be okay?"

"Yeah," Brooke said, smiling. "Love you, Hales."

"Love you, too, Brooke."

Brooke left the school feeling better about the day. She had to go to the shop and finish her sketches, then run by the store for some groceries. It seemed like days were getting shorter…or the list of things she had to do was getting much, much longer.


	16. Chapter 16

"Of course I'm running late and Lindsay was early," Brooke complained to herself, pulling into her driveway. She hadn't been able to make it to the grocery and she'd been nervous all day; she still wasn't sure what to say to Lindsay. On the bright side, maybe because she was late Lucas had already told her and Brooke wouldn't have to deal with it.

She opened the front door and walked in, looking for them. "Luke!" she called.

"Out here!" he told her.

She walked through the house to find them sitting on the deck, going over some papers. "Lindsay!" Brooke said, smiling. Lindsay smiled back and stood to hug Brooke.

"How are you doing?" she asked Brooke, taking in the fading bruises.

"Better," Brooke told her, sitting down. She looked at Lucas, nervous. Had he already told Lindsay? What should she say?

"I hear that congratulations are in order," Lindsay said, looking at the two of them.

Lucas took Brooke's hand and smiled. "I told Lindsay that I asked you to marry me, and that I was lucky enough for you to say yes."

"I feel like an idiot," Lindsay said. "Peyton made it apparent that she was in love with Lucas, and I just assumed that he…well, you know."

Brooke looked at her. "You're not mad?"

"This is why I've always liked you, Brooke," Lindsay said. "You actually care about other people's feelings." She sighed. "I'm glad that you two found each other again. Lucas seems really happy."

"I am," he told her, kissing Brooke's hand. "Lindsay had some important news," Lucas told Brooke.

"Really? What is it?" Brooke asked, looking at the other woman.

"Our agency was contacted about a possible movie deal," Lindsay told her.

"For "The Comet"?" Brooke asked.

Lucas shook his head. "For "An Unkindness of Ravens"," he told her.

"Luke, that's amazing!" Brooke said. She looked at Lindsay. "What about the book tour for "The Comet"?"

"Lucas has expressed some concern over leaving Tree Hill at the time," Lindsay told her. Brooke started to say something but she continued. "I agree with him, Brooke. With so many things going on right now, it's probably for the best that he doesn't leave for long periods of time."

"Lucas," Brooke said, looking at him. "I'll be fine. Q will be fine. Everything is going to be okay. You can't give this up for us."

Lucas looked at Lindsay. "We've worked something out," he told Brooke. "I'm going to go on a limited tour and only be gone one or two nights at a time."

"But won't that hurt sales?" Brooke asked Lindsay.

"If Lucas's first book becomes a movie, sales for his second book will likely be high anyway," Lindsay told her. "They'll also go back up for "Ravens" and we may republish that one in the future."

Brooke sat back and looked at Lucas. "Are you sure about all of this?" she asked him.

"I don't want to leave you for very long," he told her. "I just got you back."

"Luke, we have the rest of our lives to be together. I don't want to hurt your career."

Lucas sat up and looked into her eyes. "With everything that's happened, I've come to realize how little time we may have," he told her. "And whatever time I have, I don't want to waste it. I want to spend it with you." His phone rang and he checked it. "If you ladies will excuse me for a moment," he said, "I have to take this."

Brooke and Lindsay watched him walk into the house. When the door shut, Brooke looked at Lindsay and grimaced. "So honestly…do you hate me?"

Lindsay laughed. "Honestly? I was a little surprised that everything is happening so fast. I really thought that Lucas and I were going to be together forever."

"I'm so sorry," Brooke told her. "I never wanted anyone to get hurt."

"I know you didn't," Lindsay said, covering Brooke's hand with hers. "From the moment I met you, I liked you. I could immediately see what Lucas loved about you." She shrugged. "And again, honestly? I'm glad it's you and not Peyton."

"Really? Why?"

"Peyton didn't love Lucas enough to stand back and let him live his own life," Lindsay said. "She said she would…but she always put herself in his path. You were happy that he was happy. That's what love is."

Brooke looked at her. "And that's what you're doing now," she said. "You really love him."

"I do," Lindsay said, looking at the door. "But from the moment we got back into Tree Hill, I knew it wasn't going to work out. I should have never said yes." She sighed. "It all works out in the end, I guess."

"It will work out for you, too," Brooke told her. "You're an amazing girl. The right man will come along and sweep you off of your feet." Lindsay blushed a little and Brooke watched her. "You've met someone else!" she said. She moved closer to the other woman. "Is it anyone I know? Is he cute? Where does he work?"

Lindsay laughed. "It's nothing," she told Brooke. "Well…it's nothing yet."

"So…" Brooke said, drawing it out. "Who is he?"

"His name is Julian Baker, and he's the man who contacted the agency about the movie."

"Julian," Brooke said. "That's a nice name."

Lindsay nodded. "He's not like anyone I've ever met," she told Brooke. "He's smart and funny…and adorably clueless somehow."

"When will you see him again?"

"He'll be coming into Tree Hill to meet with Lucas in the next couple of days," Lindsay said. "I'll be here for that."

Brooke looked at her for a moment, a large smile on her face. "You're completely smitten," she said.

"Maybe a little," Lindsay said, still blushing a little.

"I can't wait to meet him," Brooke said.

"You'll get to," Lindsay told her. "He'll have to meet both halves of the book."

"Me and Peyton," Brooke said, nodding. "That makes sense." She sat back again. "It's weird how things work out sometimes, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Everything, I guess. When I was in high school I dreamed about what it would be like when I got older…and everything was so perfect and fell into place. Life's not like that. It's messy and rough and sometimes it makes you cry. But things have a way of working out in the end."

"I really am happy for you, Brooke," Lindsay told her. "If anyone deserves to be happy, it's you."

Lucas came back outside and Brooke watched him. "I think we all deserve to be happy."

"That was Quentin's mother," Lucas told her.

"Any change?"

"No, but she asked me to tell you that the police officer said he'd be coming by in a few minutes. Apparently he's been trying to call your cell but you haven't answered it."

"Oh!" Brooke said. "I left it in the house."

"Why didn't you tell me about the guy coming into Q's room?" he asked her.

"I was going to tell you when I got home," she told him.

"Who is the guy?" Lindsay asked, confused.

"I'm not sure," Brooke told her.

"The police think it may have been the man who shot Quentin, coming to finish the job."

"What?" Brooke said.

"Who did you think he was?" Lucas asked her.

"I don't know," Brooke said, thinking about it. "He was just creepy. I thought maybe he was a fan of Quentin's or something, someone who wasn't supposed to be in the room. If that's who he was…" She shook her head. "He came to kill Q?" she asked weakly.

Lucas looked grim. "Maybe," he told her, rubbing her back. "And if that's who he is, he knows you can identify him."

Brooke's blood turned to ice water. "I didn't think of that," she whispered.

"Is there anything I can do?" Lindsay asked the couple.

Lucas shook his head. "Thanks for everything you're doing," he told her. "It means a lot to me."

Lindsay nodded and stood up, collecting the papers. "I'll talk to you tomorrow and make plans with Mr. Baker. Do you want me to just call you?"

"That's fine," Lucas told her.

Brooke looked up. "Call me, Lindsay, and we'll talk, okay?"

"Okay," Lindsay said with a small smile. "I hope everything's okay, Brooke. Like I said, you deserve to be happy."

"Thank you," Brooke told her. Lucas stood to walk Lindsay to the door but Brooke couldn't move. If the man had been there to hurt Quentin, then her presence may have saved his life. It could have also made her a target.

Lucas came back onto the porch. "Want to come in?" he asked her. Brooke nodded and stood. Lucas wrapped his arms around her. "What do you want to do?" he asked her.

"I don't know," she admitted. She thought about Sam. "Oh no, Lucas, I forgot that Sam's going to be staying with me. What if her staying here puts her in danger?"

"Wait, who's Sam?"

Brooke told Lucas about her meeting with Haley and about the girl. "We should go to my house," he told her.

"Do you think so?"

Lucas nodded. "I think it would be safer. Call Haley and tell her to give Sam directions there."

"Are you okay with this?" she asked him. "I know it's not what you signed on for…possible killers and teenage girls."

"I'm not sure which one frightens me more," he joked, smiling.

Brooke rolled her eyes, smiling a little. "Seriously, Lucas, I can't expect you to deal with all of this."

"Brooke," he told her, tilting her chin up so that their eyes met, "you are my life. Like I said earlier, I'm not going to waste a minute not being with you. We'll get through this."

"I love you," she told him, standing on her tip toes to kiss him.

"I love you too," he told her. "While we're waiting on the police officer to get your statement we should get some of our things together."

Brooke nodded and followed him into the house. This didn't seem like real life; it seemed like someone was being hurt or threatened every other minute. She was ready for Tree Hill to go back to the nice, quiet town she'd grown up in. "Lucas," she said suddenly, pulling his hand to get him to stop walking.

"What?"

"I forgot that there's something I need to tell you about," she told him.

"Okay," he said. "Tell me about it."

"Don't be mad, okay?" she said, and he laughed a little.

"I'm not making any promises," he said, smiling at her.

"Haley thinks Dan is missing."

Lucas squinted his eyes, looking at her for a moment. "Dan Scott?" Brooke nodded. "Why would Haley care?"

"Lucas," Brooke said, sighing. "Dan has been trying, okay?"

"It's not okay," Lucas said angrily. "He killed Keith, Brooke."

"I know he did," Brooke told him. "Haley knows he did too. And you know we both loved Keith."

"So you're worried about Dan now, too?"

"No," she told him. "But Haley is and I worry about her." She glared at Lucas. "Don't you give me that look, Lucas Scott!"

"What look?" he asked. He knew he'd probably been giving her a look. He couldn't help it. Was he supposed to care about Dan? He tried to close out the small part of him that said he still did.

"You think I'm being crazy, but I just thought you'd want to know." She walked past him, turning before she got to her room. "Dan is your father, whether you like it or not. He did a horrible thing, but he's done some amazing things, too. I will never forget what he did to Keith, but I don't want anything bad to have happened to him."

She went into her bedroom and stood for a moment, then walked back out to find that Lucas hadn't moved. "I don't think I could ever really hate Dan," she told him softly. He looked at her. "Because no matter what else he's done…you're here. That wouldn't have happened without him."

Lucas pulled her closer to him and hugged her. "I don't hate him," he told her. "But I really want to."

"I think it's good that you don't hate him," Brooke told him, looking up at him. "It just proves how amazing you are as a man."

He smiled down at her. "What you do to me," he said.

Brooke winked at him. "You know you wouldn't have it any other way."

"You're right," he said, lowering his head and kissing her. He sucked in a breath as her tongue traced his lips. "Brooke," he growled.

The doorbell rang and she groaned. "Probably the police. That was quick."

Lucas nodded, letting her walk to the door. "I'm going to grab some of my stuff and throw it in a bag."

Brooke let the cop into the house and gave him her description of the man. "There was something about him," she told the cop. "I'm not sure what it was, but it was familiar…and unsettling."

"Do you think you'd seen him before?" Lucas asked her, sitting down on the couch beside her.

"I don't know," she said, looking at him. "This is Tree Hill, you know? You've pretty much seen everyone at one point or another."

"How old do you think he was?" the officer asked her.

"He was young," Brooke said. "Maybe not even 20." She sighed. "I'm sorry I'm not more help. He was just in the room for a second and took me by surprise."

"Do you believe that this man went into Quentin's room to harm him?" Lucas asked the cop.

"We don't know that for sure," the officer told them. "But it is a possibility. And since Ms. Davis has seen him, we've also considered the possibility that she may be in danger."

Lucas frowned, taking Brooke's hand. "We've discussed that," he told the officer, "and Brooke will be staying at my house for a while."

"That sounds like a good idea," the officer told him. "We can arrange a drive by, but at the time we don't have the manpower to provide her a guard; not without knowing for certain she's in danger."

Lucas nodded. He'd expected that, but he didn't like it. "What about Quentin?"

"Mr. Fields will have a guard at all times," the officer told him. "While we're not sure he's in danger either, we were able to work something out with the guards at the hospital."

Brooke breathed out a sigh of relief. "He's been through enough," she said. "So has his mother."

The officer nodded and got Lucas's information, promising them that they were doing everything they could to find out who'd shot Quentin. After he left, Brooke leaned back into Lucas. "How did everything get so complicated and scary?" she asked him.

Lucas put his arm around her and kissed her head. "That's just the way life is sometimes."

"I'm glad I came back," Brooke told him. "Even with everything that's happened, I'm still glad I came back."

"I'm glad you came back, too," he told her.

"Did you get your stuff packed up?"

"Enough of it for now. Did you text Haley and tell her to give Samantha my address?"

"Yes," Brooke told him. She sighed deeply. "I guess I need to get up and get some of my things together."

"Do you want me to pack up all of your art supplies?"

Brooke nodded. "Thank you," she said, kissing his lips.

"Brooke," he said as she walked down the little hallway.

"Yeah?"

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he told her. "Never again."

Brooke smiled. "I know. I'm not worried."

Lucas nodded, walking to her art desk. He wasn't sure how all of this was going to play out, but he did know two things: He would protect Brooke until the day he died, and he'd love her for longer than that.


	17. Chapter 17

"You repainted the door red," Brooke said, stopping on the sidewalk.

Lucas looked up from the bags he was pulling out of the trunk and nodded. "I did," he told her. "I didn't even know why I did it."

"When?" she asked, turning around to look at him.

"After Lindsay left."

Brooke turned to stare at the door again. "Lucas…" she said.

He put the bags down and walked over to her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, turning to hug him tightly. "It's perfect."

Lucas looked over at the door and smiled. "I guess I knew all along it was you."

Brooke nodded into his chest. Seeing the red door had brought back so many memories. She pulled away as she saw Samantha walking up the sidewalk. "Hey," Brooke told her, smiling. "Samantha this is Lucas, my fiancé. Luke, this is Samantha."

"Hey," the girl said in a bored tone. "You can call me Sam."

Lucas smiled at the girl. "I've seen you around school," he said.

"Great," Sam said.

Brooke started to say something but noticed that the girl's hand was trembling; she was scared to death. "Let's all go in and figure out what we want for dinner, okay?"

Lucas kissed her on the forehead and went back to pick up her bags. Brooke led Samantha to the door and unlocked it, pulling a couple of bags behind her. "What's with all the bags?" Sam asked her.

"This isn't actually my house," Brooke told her. "This is where Lucas lives."

"So why are we here?"

"I need to talk to you about that, actually," Brooke told her as they walked into the kitchen. Brooke sat down hard in one of the chairs, looking around her. Everything about being here felt so right.

"I figured you'd change your mind," the girl said, backing out of the room. "It's whatever."

"No, Sam, stop," Brooke told her. "Sit down for a minute."

Sam sat down across from Brooke and watched her. Lucas walked into the kitchen. "I put your bags in the living room," he told her. "What room do you want?"

"Our room," Brooke told him. They smiled at each other for a moment and Sam rolled her eyes. Brooke stuck her tongue out at the girl and said, "Something may have come up. I'm not sure how safe my house is right now."

"Something like what?" Sam asked her.

Brooke told Sam about the guy and Quentin. "Did you know Quentin?"

Sam shook her head. "No, but everyone's talking about it. He seemed to have a lot of friends."

Brooke nodded. "I understand completely if you think it's too dangerous to stay here," she told the girl. "But I promise that Lucas and I will do everything we can to protect you."

"Doesn't look like that helped your face too much," Sam said. Brooke quickly raised her hand to her cheek. "Sorry," the girl said. "I didn't mean to say that."

"No, you're right," she told Sam. "I had no clue someone was going to come into my store and attack me. But now I'll be prepared if it happens. We're all watching for this guy, so if he tries anything, we'll notice."

"You think so?"

Brooke nodded. "So…what do you think? You want to stay?"

Sam looked around the house. She'd never admit it, but she felt safer here than she had in a long time. Maybe forever. "You don't even know for sure that this guy is after you, right?"

"He may not be," Brooke told her. "I hope he's not. It could just be a misunderstanding."

Sam thought about it for a moment. "I'll stay," she said.

"You can sleep in my mom's room," Lucas told the girl, coming back into the kitchen with some more bags.

Sam made a face. "Dude, you live with your mom? How old are you?"

"Sam!" Brooke said, laughing and covering her mouth with her hand. She looked at Lucas, who was grinning.

"I'm going back out to make sure I got everything," he told the girls. He looked at Brooke. "Explain to her, please, that I'm not a loser."

"I'm not sure I can do that," Brooke said. She laughed when Lucas made a face and walked out of the room.

"How long have you two been together?" Sam asked her, watching Lucas walk out.

Brooke sighed, standing up. "It's complicated," she told the girl. "Why?"

Sam shrugged. "You act like you're happy," she said. She looked down the hallway. "I just haven't seen that much."

Brooke watched the girl for a minute. "You know, growing up my parents were miserable together. When they were around- which wasn't much- they spent all of their time screaming at each other." She was quiet for a moment. "I don't think they ever even noticed I was there."

"At least you had parents," Sam said quietly.

Brooke nodded. "I always had a place to live and my friends filled that big hole in my heart my parents left."

"Are you from here?" Sam asked her, curious despite herself.

"Born and raised," Brooke told her, going to the counter and picking up the phonebook.

"You and Mrs. Scott been friends a long time?" Haley had been the first adult to ever actually pay attention to Sam, as both a student and as a person.

"Oh yes," Brooke told her, sitting back down. "In fact, Lucas is the reason she and I met in high school."

"You've been with Lucas for that long? Why aren't you already married?"

Brooke smiled. "Like I said, it's a long story."

"It's a good one, though," Lucas said, coming back into the kitchen. He sat down. "If you're interested, we could tell you all about it over Chinese?"

"Chinese? Really?" Brooke groaned. "We just had that. How about pizza?"

"I'd like pizza," Sam said, relaxing a little. "And the story…if that's okay." She felt like a little girl for wanting to know, but she couldn't seem to stop herself.

Lucas smiled, pulling out his phone. "Pizza and the epic love story of Brooke Davis and Lucas Scott, coming up."

OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH

"I think this is going pretty well," Lucas said to Brooke later that night.

"I can't believe she was laughing," Brooke said in amazement. "Just like that, she's a completely different girl."

"Who could resist the Scott charm?" Lucas said, wagging his eyebrows.

Brooke grinned. "It was good to see her smile though, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Lucas said, wrapping his arms around her. "It was."

"I think she'll be okay," Brooke said. "Haley is going to find her aunt and things will work out."

"Forever the optimist, that Brooke Davis," Lucas said, kissing her forehead.

Brooke cuddled closer to him. "You just have to have hope, Luke."

"I do," he told her, watching her face. "Now."

"Man, I've missed this room," Brooke said. She looked around, noticing that it hadn't really changed that much.

"You have no idea how much this room has missed you," he told her.

"The room missed me?" she asked, smiling.

"I may have missed you a little, too."

"Just a little?" she teased, smiling.

Lucas grinned. "Maybe more than a little."

"Yeah," Brooke said, laughing and kissing him. "Maybe." She deepened the kiss, putting her arm around him.

Lucas ran his hand up the back of her shirt and then stopped. "Did you hear that?"

"What?"

Lucas jumped out of bed. "I heard something in the other room."

Brooke jumped up as well. "Do you think it's Sam?"

Lucas looked at her. "I'm going to go check. You stay here."

Brooke snorted. "Like hell," she said.

Lucas sighed, and then nodded. They slowly walked out into the hallway, Lucas grabbing his old baseball bat. He stopped and put his finger to his lips. Brooke nodded, remaining quiet and listening. The noise he'd heard was coming from Sam's bedroom. "Sam," she whispered, panicked.

Lucas nodded, and they walked to the girl's room. Lucas took a deep breath and threw the door open. A teenage boy and Sam looked up at them, startled. Brooke flipped on the light. "What the hell is this?" she demanded.

The boy turned and ran towards the window but Lucas grabbed him. "Who are you?"

Terrified, the boy just looked at Sam. "He's my friend, okay?"

"Your friend?" Brooke said, incensed. "No, Samantha, it's not okay!"

Samantha, crying now, looked at Lucas. "We weren't doing anything, I swear!" she said. "He couldn't stay at his house tonight and I told him he could crash here."

"Why would you tell him that?" Brooke demanded.

"Because I didn't want him to have to sleep on a bench somewhere," Sam said, tears still streaming down her face. "I promise, he's not a bad guy!"

Lucas, who had been quiet, looked at the boy. "I know you," he said. "You're Jack Daniels."

Jack nodded, still unable to speak. "Jack Daniels?" Brooke asked in disbelief. "Seriously?"

Lucas had seen the boy around school and wondered about him. He usually kept to himself, never spoke, even when someone said something to him. Jack seemed frightened all the time. He let go of the boy. "Don't move," he said. Jack nodded. He looked at Sam. "I can understand wanting to help a friend out," he told her. "I always try to help mine out. But this is our house, and you should have said something."

Sam nodded, her eyes on Jack. "I know, I'm so sorry," she said.

Lucas looked at Brooke, whose hand was still on her chest. She shook her head, closing her eyes. Everyone was quiet for a minute. "Jack," she said, finally, "on the couch for tonight. You will not be sneaking in my windows again, understand?"

Jack nodded and Sam sat down hard on the bed. "Thank you," she said to Brooke, hugging herself. "Thank you so much. You don't know what his brother…" she trailed off.

"This isn't an every night thing," Brooke told them both. "In the morning we'll figure out what we're going to do." She looked at Lucas and he nodded. "Lucas, will you find him some blankets?"

Lucas understood that she needed to talk to Sam alone and nodded. He looked at Jack. "Come on," he told the boy. "You can help me."

When they were out of the room, Brooke looked at the girl. "I'm sorry for yelling," she said. "But Samantha, you scared me to death."

"I'm sorry," Sam said, seemingly unable to stop crying. "I didn't know if you would let him stay and I was so afraid for him."

Brooke looked towards the door. "His brother's bad news?"

Sam nodded, wiping her face. "His whole family is," she said. "But he's different."

Brooke rubbed her face. She hoped the girl knew what she was talking about, especially since she and Lucas were letting the kid sleep on the couch. "No sex in this house, okay? Just…no."

"No, it's not like that," Sam said quickly.

Brooke rolled her eyes. "It's never like that," she said dryly.

"No, really, we're just friends. He's my best friend."

Brooke knew that boys and girls could be best friends; Haley and Lucas were the perfect example of that. But she knew what love looked like, and it was obvious to her that Sam was in love with Jack Daniels. She laughed a little at the sound of that. "Just make sure that's as far as it goes here, okay?"

Sam nodded. Brooke started to walk out of the room and Sam said her name, stopping her. "Yeah?" Brooke asked.

"Thank you," Sam said. "I've treated you badly…I've treated a lot of people badly. I know you don't have to look out for me. Just…thank you."

Brooke smiled slightly. "You're welcome," she said. She left the room and closed the door behind her. Walking into the living room, she found Lucas talking to the boy.

"And seriously, no funny business," he was saying.

"No, it's not like that," the boy said.

"Yeah, yeah," Brooke told him. "Keep it that way."

Jack nodded, still looking terrified. "Calm down, kid," she told him. "No one's going to kill you in your sleep." When he only nodded again, she sighed and looked at Lucas. "Bed?"

He nodded. Brooke walked to their room and Lucas looked at the boy. "We'll talk in the morning, okay?"

"Yes," Jack said.

"Good night," he said, walking to his room. He found Brooke sitting up in bed, staring at the wall. "Hey," he said, sitting beside her. "Are you okay?"

Brooke put her head on his shoulder, taking a deep breath. "That really scared me," she admitted.

"It did me too."

She looked up at him. "You didn't seem scared."

He pushed some of her hair out of her face, his thumbs gently running over the faint bruises. "I'm not supposed to seem scared," he told her. "But I was."

She sighed. "This whole situation is crazy. It's okay to let him stay, right?" she asked. She had no idea what was normal or acceptable in this situation, but she knew she couldn't let the boy go back out of the house this late at night and as scared as he was.

Lucas nodded. "I think the boy has a hard life," he said.

Brooke frowned. "It seems like they both do," she said. "Thank you," she told him.

"For what?"

"For protecting me. For having my back."

Lucas smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile back. "I'll always have your back," he told her. "And your front," he said, kissing her. "And your side." His fingers slid along her sides, causing her to shriek in laughter, then clap her hand over her mouth and stare at him wide eyed.

"Behave!" she told him, still giggling.

"No," he said, lowering them both down onto the bed.

"There are kids in the next rooms," she reminded him.

"I guess you'll have to be quiet then," he told her, grinning wickedly.

"Oh my God," she said, watching him as he pulled his shirt over his head. "I love you."

Lucas smiled, kissing her neck. "I love you, too."


	18. Chapter 18

"What are you doing today?" Lucas asked Brooke as he came into the kitchen the next morning.

Brooke looked up from the stove and made a face. "I think I've seriously overbooked myself," she told him.

"Yeah?" he said, trying to sneak a piece of bacon from the plate beside her.

Brooke smacked his hand but let him have the bacon. "Yeah," she said, putting the fork down and leaning against the counter. "I'm going by to read to Quentin, I need to finish my sketches, I want to go by and see Haley, I have to talk to the DA about the trial for my attacker," she broke off and put her hand to her forehead, trying to remember what else she had to do.

Lucas took her hand and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on her head. "Do you need me to go with you?"

"No," she said, relaxing into him. "I can do it."

"You sure?"

She nodded. "We need to figure out what we're going to do with Jack," she said.

Lucas sighed. "Maybe he'll be able to go home tonight."

"I don't know if that would be any better," Brooke said, releasing him and going back to the eggs she was cooking. "But we'll talk to him about it."

"I'll take them both in to school when I go," Lucas said, going to the fridge and pulling out the orange juice.

"Victoria and Karen will both be in town tomorrow," Brooke said, almost to herself. "I can't wait to see them."

"I bet Lilly has grown."

Brooke grinned at him. "I can't believe you have a sister close to Jamie's age!"

Lucas grimaced. "Don't remind me!"

She laughed, putting the eggs in a bowl. "How's Nathan doing?"

"He's getting a lot stronger," Lucas told her. "I think he'll be back to normal in no time."

"Really?" she said, getting the rest of the food together. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Probably, but he loves the game."

Brooke looked at him. "So did you, but you had to quit."

Lucas shrugged. "What was the point of playing if you weren't cheering for me?"

Brooke sat the food down and put her hands on her hips. "Don't you dare blame that on me, Lucas Scott!"

He smiled, then shook his head. "What would mom have done if I died?"

Brooke moved closer to him and kissed him on the nose. "You were scared," she said. He started to pull away and she held his arm, not letting him move. "It's okay to be scared sometimes," she told him. "It scared me too."

"Nathan's scared," Lucas told her. "And I'm not sure if I should encourage him to go for it or tell him he should play it safe."

"Let him decide on his own, and then just be there for him," Brooke told him.

"Smart," he said, smiling as he looked down into her face. Her eyes sparkled this morning, her cheeks flushed. The bruises were all but gone. He lowered his head and kissed her, his hands cupping her face.

"Do you guys kiss every minute of every day?" Sam asked, coming into the room. "It's a little freaky."

Lucas pulled away from Brooke, grinning. "Sorry," he said, going back to the cabinet to get glasses.

"I'm not," Brooke said, watching him walk away. Sam made a noise and she looked over, smiling and shrugging. "Can't help it!" she mouthed to the girl.

"Jack's in the bathroom," Sam told them. "Thanks again," she said. "You know, for letting him stay. For letting me stay."

"So what's the story with Jack's family?" Lucas asked her.

Sam looked down the hallway and then turned back to the couple. "They're really bad news," she said softly.

"Is it safe for him at home?" Brooke asked her.

"No," Sam said.

"Then why doesn't he tell someone?"

"Because I don't want to leave Sam," Jack said from the bathroom doorway. He came into the kitchen and looked at the three of them. "I appreciate you letting me stay here, and I'm glad you're taking care of Sam," he said. "But the reasons I have for staying in my home are my own."

Lucas watched him for a moment. "If you're in danger…"

"If I'm in danger, I'll leave," Jack finished. "I always have."

"Sometimes you're not fast enough, Jack," Sam reminded him.

"I'm still here," he told her. "And so are you. For a little while longer, anyway."

"What will you do once we find Sam's aunt?" Brooke asked him.

The boy shrugged. "I guess I'll figure that out after it happens."

"Do you guys really think we'll be able to find her?" Sam asked as she put some plates on the table. Brooke smiled to herself as she noticed the action; the girl was already letting her guard down and settling into the idea of staying here. Brooke knew it was only temporary, like with Angie, but it still felt good to be a part of that change.

"Brooke said that you don't remember what your name was before the change?" Lucas asked her.

Sam shook her head. "I don't really remember anything," she said.

"What about the weather?" Brooke asked her. "Do you remember it being really cold or really hot? Snow?"

Sam sat down, thinking hard. "I don't remember snow," she said slowly. "I don't think it ever snowed."

Jack reached for her hand and squeezed it. "Maybe that's something then."

Sam smiled and nodded. "Maybe."

After Brooke put the rest of the food on the table they ate, discussing their plans for the day. Jack didn't say much, but Sam had questions about everything. Brooke and Lucas took turns answering them, all the while holding hands under the table. It wasn't normal, Brooke thought as she looked around the table, but it was definitely nice.

Lucas and the kids left for school and Brooke gathered her things and drove to Haley's house. "Hey Brooke," Nathan said, answering the door.

"Hey," Brooke said, hugging him. "You look great."

"I feel pretty good." He smiled. "I hear you're doing well."

"Nathan!" Brooke said, gasping. "I just realized that you'll be my brother!"

He laughed. "And you'll be my little sister."

"Ahhh!" Brooke cried excitedly, hugging him again. Haley came into the room and Brooke grinned. "Nathan will be my brother!"

"Okay," Haley said, laughing at her friend's excitement.

Nathan kissed Haley and nodded to Brooke. "I'll see you girls later."

After he'd shut the door Brooke looked at Haley. "You didn't mention Dan, did you?"

Haley made a face. "No. I couldn't get the words out."

"I told Lucas," Brooke told her.

"You did? What did he say? Was he mad?"

"He was upset," Brooke told her. "But I think he's more bothered by the fact that he still cares."

Haley sighed. "It's such a mess," she said.

"I thought that maybe we could run by his place, check things out?"

"I've been by there," Haley told her. "He isn't there."

"Maybe we could check out the inside of the place?"

"I don't have a key…" she trailed off. "You don't mean break in?"

"I do mean break in," Brooke told her.

Haley put her face in her hands. "Brooke…we can't just break in."

"Yes we can," Brooke said. "Okay, maybe we won't break in. We need to do something, though."

"I thought about going to the police."

"Then let's go to the police," Brooke told her.

"You'll go with me?"

"Of course," Brooke told her, opening the door. "That's what friends do."

OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH

Brooke dropped Haley back off at her house after they finished filing a missing persons report and then spent an hour reading to Q. She'd talked to the guard and he'd told her that everything had been calm at the hospital. Brooke left praying that the boy would wake up.

She met with the DA and went over her testimony, more nervous about the idea of facing her accuser in the courtroom than she thought she'd be. She reminded herself that Lucas would be with her and felt a little better about it.

Brooke found herself at her store, staring at the sketches in front of her and having no idea what she wanted to do with them. Everything was so chaotic right now she was afraid that anything she designed would be a reflection of that chaos. She sat for an hour, not drawing anything.

"What?" Mille asked, coming into the back of the store. "What's wrong with you?"

Brooke groaned and dropped her head onto the drawing table. "I don't know," she said. "I can't think."

"Maybe you need a break," Millie told her.

"I need to finish these," Brooke whined, her head still down.

Millie chuckled as she gathered the papers she was working on and walked back to the front. Brooke kept her head down, thinking that maybe she should just take a nap.

"Brooke?" Millie called from the front.

"Not here!" Brooke yelled back.

Millie walked back into the back. "Brooke, there's a man here to see you."

"A man?" Brooke asked. "I have a man."

Millie rolled her eyes. "Not that kind of man," she said. "He said he's a movie producer."

"Julian Baker!" Brooke said, hopping off of her chair. She went into the front of the store and saw the tall man leaning against the counter. "Julian Baker?"

He nodded, smiling at her. He was extremely good looking, and Brooke mentally did a happy dance for Lindsay. "Hello," he said, shaking her hand. "You're _the_ Brooke Davis, huh?"

"The one and only," Brooke told him.

"I've read a lot about you," Julian told her.

"Yeah? What did you think?"

"I think you're a very fascinating woman…one that the country could easily fall in love with."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, sir," Brooke told him, grinning.

"It's the truth," Julian told her. "I have to tell you, I connected more with the story of you and Lucas than with the idea of him and Peyton."

"So did I."

"Lindsay tells me that the story corrected itself in real life."

Brooke nodded. "It seems to be working itself out."

"I need to ask you, Miss Davis, if you're okay with the movie being made."

"Does it matter if I'm okay with it?"

"Oh, I'm sure it does. If you weren't sold on the idea, I have a feeling Mr. Scott wouldn't give the go ahead."

Brooke shrugged. "I'm fine with it," she told him. "Lucas knows that."

"Even if in the movie he ends up with Peyton?"

Brooke laughed. "That's history," she told him. "I'm the present."

Julian smiled. "I like you," he told her. "Just like I was sure I would."

"So long as you find someone amazing to play me, I'm fine."

"I promise to do my best," he told her. "Any suggestions?"

"I'll think about it," she told him. "Do you plan to stay true to the book?"

Julian nodded. "I'm going to have Lucas write the screenplay, if he'll do it. I can't imagine anyone being able to do a better job than the man who wrote and lived the story."

"I'm sure he'll do it," Brooke told him. "Have you met with him yet?"

"I wanted to meet you first, actually."

"Why?" she asked him, curious.

"The Brooke Davis in the book intrigued me. Once I got to Tree Hill I could think of nothing but finally putting a face to the name."

"Have you met with Peyton yet?"

"No, but I plan to. Do you think she'll have a problem with the book being made into a movie?"

"I don't think so," Brooke told him. "But I haven't had a chance to mention it to her yet. She'll be surprised."

Julian nodded and looked at his watch. "I have to go meet with Lindsay and Lucas," he told her. "Thank you for taking the time to see me. It's made me even more determined to see this movie made."

"My pleasure," Brooke told him sincerely. "Take care of my man, Mr. Baker. He deserves only good things."

"We'll make that happen, Ms. Davis," Julian told her as he walked out of the store. "For everyone." When he got to the door, he turned to look at her. "We may even have to make a sequel," he told her with a wink. "Now that the ending has changed."

Brooke watched him leave and then went back to her desk; not to work on her sketches but to make a list of actresses that could play her in the movie.


	19. Chapter 19

Brooke couldn't wait to get to the house and see Lucas. She'd finally gotten some work done but she wasn't sure she liked it. She'd wanted to know how the meeting with Julian Baker went but she'd kept herself from calling him. She needed to at least pretend to be an adult about things like this. She _would_ be sending Lindsay a text message later, though, congratulating her on picking such a fine looking man. Brooke was already visualizing their wedding and her bridesmaid dress.

She found Lucas in the garage, shirtless and working on his old Mustang. His muscles strained as he leaned over to tighten something and every other thought she'd had flew out of her mind. She dropped all of her things by the garage door and walked straight to him.

Lucas looked up when he heard her, watching her peel her shirt off and over her head. He caught her as she jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around him. Neither spoke as her mouth crashed into his and he turned her so that her back was against the side of the car.

Brooke's lips broke away from his and her teeth scraped his neck, her hips pushing into his. His skin was slick and salty, hot against her tongue. Lucas's hand pushed her skirt up around her hips, then tore her underwear away. After pushing his own pants down, he pulled his head back and looked into her eyes as he thrust inside her. Brooke moaned, rocking her hips against him. "More," she whispered.

Lucas grabbed her hips, holding her still as he rammed into her. Brooke held on to him, tightening her legs around his waist. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his fingers digging into her skin as her body tensed around him.

Brooke's breath came out in short gasps as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back. Shocks of heat rushed through her body with each thrust, the feeling so intense it was almost painful. A moan started deep within her throat and turned into a scream as wave after wave of pleasure rolled through her. Lucas quickly covered her mouth with his, stifling the sound. His release followed quickly, so powerful that it made his knees weak.

Forehead to forehead and breathing hard, they didn't move for a moment. "Hi," he said finally, grinning.

"Hey," Brooke responded. "How was your day?"

"It's better now," he told her.

"Hmm, that's funny," she teased. "Mine too."

"Wonder why that is?" he asked as she unwrapped her legs from around him.

"Must be magic," she told him, legs shaking slightly. Lucas put his arm under hers, steadying her.

"What brought this on?" he asked her.

"You're really hot," she told him.

Lucas laughed. "And now you're really dirty," he said. "Sorry about that."

"Don't be," she told him, taking his hand and leading him into the house. "I'm not."

She grabbed a couple of towels and washcloths and led him into the bathroom. She started the shower and pulled the rest of her clothes off, motioning that he should do the same. She got into the shower and held the curtain open for him. Lucas undressed and stepped into the shower, watching her as she talked about her day and lathered her hair. This was the way his life was going to be from now on; hot garage sex followed by shared showers and discussions of the day. He'd never been more convinced that he'd made the right choice in his life.

"…And Haley and I filed a missing persons report for Dan," she was saying.

"Wait," Lucas said, turning her towards him so he could see her face. "You did what?"

Brooke squinted as a little shampoo got in her eye. "Ow!" she cried, closing both of them tightly. "Ow!"

Lucas turned her back towards the spray and handed her a washcloth. After a moment of rinsing out her eye, it was okay. "That hurt," she said, pouting.

Lucas leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Sorry," he told her.

Brooke wrapped her arms around him, standing on her tip toes and kissing him. "It's okay," she told him. Pulling away she handed him his shampoo and switched him places, pouring body wash on her sponge. "Anyway, we filed a missing persons report on Dan."

Lucas had a hard time switching between topics, especially with a wet and naked Brooke Davis in front of him. "Dan's still missing?"

Brooke nodded. "Haley is really worried, but she hasn't talked to Nathan about it yet."

Lucas sighed. He had no idea how he was supposed to handle this. "What should I do?" he asked her as he began to wash his hair.

"What do you want to do?" she asked him.

"Forget Dan exists?"

"Then forget he exists," Brooke told him. Lucas made a face and she shrugged. "I'm going to help Haley. You and Nathan have to decide if you want to or not."

Lucas loved that about her. She would always do what she thought was right, no matter what. She would do everything she could to find Dan, because she knew it meant a lot to Haley…and probably because she knew he cared but couldn't admit it. She was so much stronger than him. "I'll talk to Nathan. Will Haley have mentioned it to him by then?"

"She promised me she'd talk to him about it tonight." She finished washing off and leaned back against the shower wall, watching him. "There are so many things we need to talk about," she said, her eyes roaming his body. "I just can't remember what any of them were."

Lucas nodded and reached for her, pulling her close. Her skin slid against his as he held her, water from the shower falling between them. Brooke ran her hands over his slick shoulders, throwing her head back in the shower spray. Lucas's lips trailed down her exposed neck, his hands cupping her butt and pulling her up and against him. Brooke moved her right leg, putting it around his waist and pulling his body to the back of the shower.

His hand covered her breast, squeezing it as he lightly bit her neck. Brooke's breath left her in a ragged gasp, and she looked at him. "So much for getting clean," she said, lifting her other leg and locking her ankles behind him.

"Clean's overrated," he whispered, plunging into her. Brooke moaned softly as he filled her. She closed her eyes and arched into him, pushing against the shower wall. Lucas groaned, not moving. "Look at me," he said huskily, holding her still.

Brooke opened her eyes and looked into his as he started moving. His lips lowered and brushed hers as her hips rocked against his. His hand moved between them as they moved, touching her. Brooke cried out, jerking wildly around him. Lucas watched her fall apart, groaning as her body clenched around his. It had always been like this between them; one touch could push either of them over the edge. His hand continued to work between them and Brooke screamed out again, this time taking him with her.

Brooke felt boneless as she lowered her legs. Lucas kissed her, his tongue delving into her mouth as his arms wrapped around her and held her close to him. "Perfect," he said, breaking away. "You're perfect."

Brooke shook her head, still dazed. "This is the greatest shower I've ever had," she told him.

Lucas smiled at her and handed her the washcloth, turning to wash himself again. When he'd finished, he stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel, drying off. Brooke still stood in the shower, watching him. "Luke," she said when he started to leave the room.

He stopped walking and looked at her. "Yeah?"

"Do you think it will always be like this?"

"Between us?" he asked her. She nodded. "Count on it," he said, winking.

Brooke smiled and went back to her shower, humming. Lucas wrapped his towel around him and left the room, walking down the hall towards their room. "This is worse than living on the set of a porno," Sam said behind him.

Lucas jumped and spun around. "Sam," he said, his entire body flushing red. He was briefly reminded of walking through the halls of the high school naked but for two basketballs. This may actually be worse. "I, uh…hey."

Sam shook her head, smirking. "Please, go," she told him, motioning towards his bedroom. "I came to pick up a book I left. I knocked, but I guess you were too busy to hear me."

Lucas wanted to talk to her, but he wanted to get dressed more. "Don't leave," he told her, ducking into his room. While he was getting dressed he heard Brooke and Sam having the same conversation he'd just had with the girl. Brooke came into the room looking mortified.

"I'm such a bad role model!" she whispered loudly.

Lucas, now dressed, shook his head. "No you're not," he told her, kissing her forehead. "Get dressed and come out."

"Can't I just bury myself under the cover and die of embarrassment?"

Lucas laughed and walked out of the room. He walked to the living room and sat down in the chair across from Sam. "I'm sorry about that," he told her.

Sam shrugged. "This is your house and you had no idea I would be here."

"I know it has to be weird…"

"It is for you," Sam said.

Lucas nodded. "A little, yeah."

"I'm the one who's sorry," she told him. "I shouldn't have just walked in."

"We'll be more careful in the future," Lucas told her.

"Look," Sam told him, "I don't want to be in the way. You and Brooke just got back together. I get it. You're hot for each other."

Lucas winced. He could have gone his whole life without having this conversation. "We're not just hot for each other," he tried to explain.

"I know," Sam told him. "You're totally in love with each other."

Lucas wasn't sure what else to say. "Can we just pretend this never happened?" he said finally.

"What happened?" Sam said.

Lucas grinned at her. "That works." He heard Brooke going through her bags in his room, muttering about not being able to find anything. "How's Jack?" he asked Sam.

"I'm not sure," the girl told him. "I had detention today and didn't get a chance to talk to him."

"Detention?"

Sam shrugged. "Have you met the principal?"

Lucas winced. "Yeah," he said in understanding.

"Well there you go."

Lucas nodded. "What's going on at Jack's house?" Lucas asked her. He was worried about the boy.

Sam frowned. "His whole family is crazy," she told him. "And not the 'just a little off' kind of crazy."

"They're violent?"

"Very," Sam said. She was quiet for a moment. "Jack has scars all over his body," she whispered. "They're really bad."

Lucas had expected this, but he still felt a twinge of disbelief. What kind of person could hurt a kid like that? "Is it his parents?"

"He doesn't have any parents," Sam told him. "It's just him and his brother and a couple cousins."

"They all live together?"

Sam nodded. "They scare me," she admitted. "I haven't gone to his house in a few weeks…his brother makes me nervous."

"Don't go there," Lucas told her, "no matter what. If something's wrong with Jack, tell us or the police. Don't go there yourself." Sam was quiet. "I know that I'm not your parent or brother," Lucas told her, "and that I have no right to expect you to listen to me."

"It's not that," Sam told him. "I just worry that something will happen to Jack…what if no one else could get there in time?"

Lucas sighed. Teenagers shouldn't have to worry about things like this. "Jack would not want you to get hurt trying to help him. We'll get there."

Sam looked doubtful but nodded. "I'll call you."

Lucas was aware that she hadn't agreed to stay out of the house, but he let it go for now. He started to say something but someone knocked on the door. Getting up to answer it, he was surprised to find Nathan standing on the other side, looking upset. "Nathan?"

"I need to talk to you," Nathan told him.

Lucas looked back to find Brooke coming into the living room. "Hey, Nathan and I are going to take a walk, okay?"

Brooke, who was avoiding Sam's gaze, sat on the couch. "We'll start supper in a few minutes."

Lucas just looked at her for a moment, wet haired and in one of his old t-shirts. He'd never met her equal. She stared back at him, her eyes slightly narrowed. He wondered if she realized how perfect she was. Probably not. He'd have to spend the rest of his life letting her know.

He shut the door behind them and walked off the porch with Nathan. "You've got it bad, bro," Nathan said to him. Lucas nodded, smiling. He was okay with that. "How is she?"

"She has a little trouble sleeping," Lucas told him. "She mumbles and thrashes around sometimes."

"Does she wake up?"

"No, and I don't know if I should wake her up or leave her alone. Usually if I hold her she calms down."

"I'm glad she has you," Nathan told him. "And I'm glad you have her."

"It's about time, right?" He watched his brother. "You didn't come over to talk about me and Brooke."

Nathan nodded. "Yeah, there's something else."

"Dan," Lucas said, putting his hands in his pockets.

Nathan nodded grimly. "Haley told me that she's been worried that something happened to him."

"What do you think?" Lucas asked him.

Nathan shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "I don't want to care."

"I don't either," Lucas told him. They stopped walking at the end of the road and looked out over the water. "I do, though."

"I do too," Nathan said disgustedly. He kicked a rock into the water. "We shouldn't."

"I know," Lucas agreed. "I won't ever be able to forgive him."

"We shouldn't," Nathan said again. "Do you think someone took him?"

"Who would take Dan? Who the hell would want him?" Lucas asked.

Nathan shrugged. "There has to be a lot of people that hate him."

Lucas looked at him. "Do you think he's dead?"

Nathan felt sick; he was torn. He didn't want to care about Dan. The man had spent Nathan's entire life making him miserable. He'd killed his uncle. He couldn't help but remember the times he and his dad had gotten along, though; the times that he'd felt like his dad loved him…the times he'd loved Dan. "I don't want him to be dead," Nathan admitted, ashamed of himself.

Lucas knew exactly how Nathan felt. Keith had been his father; he'd supported and raised Lucas his whole life. He hated Dan for taking Keith away from him, from his mother, from Lily. He couldn't help that a small part of him still recognized Dan as his family; part of his heart, even if was a very small part, belonged to the man who'd fathered him. "I don't want him to be dead either."

"What are we going to do?" Nathan asked him after a moment of silence.

"Find Dan," Lucas told him.

Nathan sighed. "After we find him, I'm going back to pretending he doesn't exist."

Lucas smiled. "Me too, Little Brother. Me too." He put his arm around Nathan's shoulder as they walked back to his house, thinking about how- because of Dan- he had Nathan. For that, at least, he was grateful.


	20. Chapter 20

Brooke knocked on the door of Peyton's apartment as she moved from one foot to the other. Peyton had found the apartment after the first week Angie lived with them. Brooke hadn't really understood Peyton's attitude towards Angie; she used to love kids.

Peyton opened the door and Brooke smiled at her friend, hugging her. "Peyton, I have great news!"

"Come in," Peyton told her, standing away from the door.

Brooke walked in and went to the couch, sitting down. "You'll never believe what's happening."

"Lucas's book is being made into a movie," Peyton said, sitting beside her.

"Oh," Brooke said, deflated. "Who told you?"

"Julian. He's cute."

Brooke nodded. "But don't be getting any ideas," she told her friend. "Lindsay has a thing for him."

"Figures," Peyton said, smiling slightly.

Brooke watched her friend. "What's going on with you?"

"What?"

Brooke's eyes narrowed. "There's something wrong."

Peyton shook her head, but Brooke could tell she was fighting back tears. "Peyton," she said, pulling her friend close to her. "What's wrong?"

"He's just such a jerk," Peyton told her, openly crying. "I thought that finding my father would be great, you know? I've always wondered what he'd be like."

"Mick?"

Peyton nodded. "He's nothing like I imagined he'd be."

"Oh Peyton," Brooke said, hugging her. "I'm so sorry."

Peyton nodded, wiping her face and sitting up. "It's okay," she told her friend. "It was just hard; getting my hopes up and then…this."

"Will you see him again?"

"I don't know," Peyton told her. "He just comes in unannounced sometimes. He drinks a lot."

Brooke frowned. "I wish I could do something," Brooke told her. "What can I do?"

"There's nothing anyone can do," Peyton told her. "I just have to figure out if I let him stick around or if I tell him to go." She stood up. "You know that band I was telling you about? The one from Tennessee?" Brooke nodded. "They're going to be at the studio in thirty minutes. Want to come listen to them with me?"

Brooke thought about the million things she needed to be doing; she'd left Lucas and Sam to clean up after supper so she could come here to talk to Peyton. But she could tell that her friend needed her and she had to be there for her. "Yeah, I'd like that," she told Peyton. "I'll drive, too, and just go home from there."

On the way to the studio, Brooke called Lucas. "Have you guys heard anything from Jack?" she asked him.

"Nope, not yet," Lucas told her. He walked into their room and shut the door. "Sam seems pretty worried."

"Does she think he's in danger?"

"I think so," Lucas told her, "but she won't talk to me about it."

"What should we do?"

Lucas sighed. "I don't know," he told her. "I want to contact CPS, but I'm afraid that he'd just run away if I did."

"But would that be worse than the way things are now?"

"He seems to think he knows what he's doing," Lucas told her. "Maybe he does."

"I hope so," Brooke told him. "What are we going to do with him? Are we going to let him stay when he needs to or are we going to find another place for him to go?"

"I don't know where the other place would be," Lucas told her. "And I think it's important for both of them that they're together."

Brooke thought about it for a minute. She'd been lost and hurting when she'd been a teenager; she hadn't been afraid for her life, but there had been dark times. Her friends had kept her sane, and Lucas had always stepped in a tried to make things better for her. "Your house was the place I stayed when I was lost," she told him.

Lucas smiled, thinking about the look on Brooke's face when she realized she was going to be staying at his house. "Maybe it's where Jack can stay when he is."

"What are we doing?" she asked him. "This is crazy."

"We're doing what we've always done," he told her. "Taking care of people that need our help."

"Are you really okay with all of this?" she asked him.

Lucas thought about how full his life had seemed in the last week. Brooke made everything brighter, better. "Yeah," he told her. "I'm okay with it."

Brooke smiled. He really was an amazing guy. "We didn't get a chance to talk about it, but what did you and Nathan decide?"

"We're going to start looking for Dan tomorrow," he told her.

"I knew you would," she told him.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," she said, grinning. She looked at the clock. "I'm going with Peyton to meet with a band," she told him. "She's having a hard time right now and I just felt like I needed to be with her for a while."

"That's fine," Lucas told her. "Just be safe, okay?"

Brooke smiled. "I'll be fine," she told him. "I really don't think I'm in danger, Luke."

"Not something I want to chance," he told her. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she told him.

She pulled into the parking lot of Tric and waited for Peyton to pull beside her. Wrapping her arm around her friend, she said a silent prayer that her friend's dad wouldn't be there. "Karen's coming back tomorrow," she told Peyton. "So is Victoria."

Peyton grimaced. "You and Victoria still working on things?"

"Yeah," Brooke told her. "I know you don't like her. I know you have good reason. But maybe she's changed."

"I hope so," Peyton told her. She really hoped Victoria had changed. Brooke deserved to finally have a mother. "Is Lucas nervous?"

Brooke laughed. "She terrifies him."

"He's a smart man. Is he excited about the movie?"

Brooke nodded. "He'll be going on a book tour, too," she told Peyton. "A limited one, though, because he wants to stay close to Tree Hill."

"I'm glad he's doing all the things he always wanted to," Peyton told her.

Getting into Peyton's office, Brooke sat in one of her chairs. "This place seems to be dad free," she said, sending up another silent prayer; this one of thanks.

Peyton sighed and sat in her chair. "For now," she said.

"Tell me about this band," Brooke told her.

"They're really good," Peyton told her. "I listened to a few of their tracks and couldn't believe no one had signed them already."

"The lead singer was gone, though?"

Peyton nodded. "Yeah, they said a family thing. He'll be here tonight, though." She looked at her watch. "In fact, they should be here any minute."

As she said it, four guys walked into the studio. Brooke turned to watch them walk in, smiling. They were good looking guys; if they could sing and play as well as they looked, they'd have it made. "Wait," she said, shocked, noticing a fifth guy. She heard Peyton's gasp behind her. Brooke turned to look at her friend and worried that the other woman was going to faint. Turning back towards the band, she shook her head. "Jake?"

Jack smiled, cocking his head up in greeting. "No way!" Brooke cried out, running towards the man and hugging him.

"Brooke Davis." Jake picked her up, swinging her around, never taking his eyes off Peyton. "Hey Peyton," he said, putting Brooke down.

"Jake," Peyton said, still unable to move. Her heart raced as she took him in; he looked older, as they all did. He had slight laugh lines around his mouth and he looked more solid, more real than he ever had. The sound of her pounding heart almost deafened her as she stood, swaying slightly.

Brooke distracted the other band members as Jake walked towards her friend. Jake got to Peyton's desk and stopped. "You never called back," he told her.

Peyton couldn't stop the sob that escaped her mouth as she reached for him, hugging him tightly. Jake wrapped his arms around her, hugging her back. "You're Jay?" she asked, not letting go of him.

She could feel him nod. "That's what the guys call me," he told her. "I couldn't believe it when they told me that a woman named Peyton Sawyer, who owned a studio in Tree Hill, North Carolina, was interested in our band. I thought they were messing with me."

"Jenny!" Peyton said, pulling back to look at him. "Where's Jenny?"

"She's with Nicky," he told her. Peyton winced and Jake shook his head. "No, it's okay. Nic has changed. She really loves Jenny and does a good job taking care of her."

Peyton felt each word like a blow to the stomach. She'd always been afraid to call Jake because she was afraid that he and Nicky would be living happily ever after, raising Jenny together. It seemed like she had been right. "I'm glad things worked out for you guys," she said.

"I spent so long thinking they wouldn't," Jake told her. "I ran from the idea for so long. I guess those were the things I had to go through to get where I am now, though." Peyton nodded, trying to swallow the misery she felt at his words.

"So how's Lucas?" Jake asked her.

"Marrying Brooke," Peyton told him.

Jake looked over at the brunette laughing with his band mates. "Really?" he said, looking back at Peyton.

Peyton shrugged. "I guess it's really always been Brooke."

Jake nodded. "Took them long enough."

"You knew?" Peyton asked him. "Then why did you tell me to leave?"

"You had to figure it out for yourself," Jake told her. "I figured you would and you'd come back to me." He sat at the edge of her desk. "But you never did."

"It took me this long to figure it out," Peyton told him, feeling like an idiot.

"I'm sorry, Peyton," he told her quietly.

Peyton nodded. "I guess it worked out for the best for everyone," she said. "Lucas and Brooke are happy, you're with Nicky; that's what's best for Jenny."

Jake looked at her for a moment, confused, then said, "I'm not with Nicky, Peyton."

Wide eyed, Peyton watched him. "But you said…"

Jake shook his head. "I said that Nicky takes good care of Jenny. She does. But we're not together."

"Oh," Peyton said, relief and embarrassment racing through her. "Oh, I'm sorry."

Jake shrugged. "It's okay," he told her. "I didn't make it clear." He smiled. "You wanted to hear my band?"

Peyton nodded, trying to clear her head. "Oh! Yeah, you guys go into the booth and get set up," she told him, motioning for the booth.

Jake eased up from the desk and walked towards his friends, and then moving into the booth. Brooke walked over to Peyton. "Are you going to fall down? What should I do?"

Peyton stood very still, afraid that she'd break into a million pieces if she moved. "Is this really happening?"

Brooke looked towards the booth, seeing Jake and his friends laugh as they set up their equipment. "It looks real to me."

"What do I do?" Peyton whispered.

"Jump his bones?"

"Brooke, I'm serious!"

"So am I," Brooke told her. "Peyton, you always loved Jake. Jake always loved you. You chose him over Pete Wentz, for crying out loud. You loved him, and you loved Jenny and it killed you to let them go. You were scared to get too close, because they were always leaving."

Peyton sat on the side of her desk and continued to stare at the guys. Jake looked up and caught her eye, winking. She looked at Brooke. "I have made such a mess of my life," she told her friend. "I'm no better than Mick."

Brooke put her arm around her friend, leading her to the booth. "You're wrong," Brooke told her. "This is exactly where you're supposed to be, when you're supposed to be here." She grinned. "I love Tree Hill!"


	21. Chapter 21

When Brooke got to the house, Lucas met her at the door. "You'll never believe what happened!" she told him, jumping into his arms.

Lucas laughed as he caught her. "I have news, too."

"Jake is back in town!"

"Quentin woke up!"

"Wait, what?" they said at the same time.

"Jake Jagielski?" Lucas asked her.

"He's awake?" Brooke asked him.

"I'm going to lie down," Sam said from behind them. "You two are exhausting."

Brooke watched her walk away and looked at Lucas. "She still hasn't heard from Jack?"

Lucas shook his head. "She's been calling him all night."

"Oh man," Brooke said. "I hope he's okay."

"I do too," Lucas told her. "I was going to run to the hospital for a little while. Do you want to go?"

Brooke bit her lip, looking towards the room Sam was in. "I think I better stay here with Sam," she told him.

Lucas nodded. "You probably should." He kissed her forehead. "How's Jake?"

"He's the lead singer of the band Peyton is thinking about signing," Brooke told him, grinning. "Coincidence? I think not."

Lucas shook his head again. That was Brooke, always matchmaking. "Is the band good?"

Brooke snorted. "Like that would matter." Lucas just watched her. "Yeah, they're really good."

Lucas smiled. "How's Jenny?"

"She's so big!" Brooke told him. "She's beautiful." She eyed him. "Don't you want to know how your old flame Nicky is?" she asked him, batting her eyes.

Lucas groaned. "Not really."

"Well, I'm going to tell you anyway," Brooke told him. "She's straightened up and is helping Jake with Jenny. She's a good mom."

"I'm glad to hear that," Lucas told her. "Maybe all she needed was a chance."

"No, she needed a good ass whooping."

Lucas grinned again. "I seem to recall her getting one."

It was Brooke's turn to groan. "Thinking about all of that makes my stomach hurt," she told him.

"I'm sorry," he told her, meaning it. Suddenly serious, he looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry I ever hurt you."

Brooke shook her head. "We can't keep apologizing for the past. We both did stupid things, but we're together now. That's all that matters."

Lucas kissed her. "Will you two be okay here?"

"Yes," Brooke told him, following him to their room. "I really don't think I'm in danger," she told him. "You can probably stop worrying."

"I still don't want to take a chance," he told her. "Be sure to lock up and call me if anything comes up." He turned and took her face in his hands. "Even if it seems silly, Brooke, promise me that you'll call me if you need to." Brooke nodded and he lowered his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around him and he deepened the kiss, his tongue delving into her mouth. He realized that if he didn't pull away soon he wouldn't be able to. Brooke sighed against his lips as he broke away. "You drive me crazy," he whispered to her, his lips brushing hers again.

Brooke plopped down on the bed and watched him get his stuff together. She'd found that just watching him could quickly become her favorite thing ever; she'd never get enough of him. He moved with an athletic grace she knew he was unaware of, grace she knew he was born with. He was also born with a good heart, and she knew that she was lucky to have found a place in it. "Hurry home, okay?" she told him.

Lucas smiled. "You going to miss me?" he teased as he walked to the door.

"Yes," Brooke said. She stood and walked to him. "I always miss you when you're not with me."

"I guess it's a good thing I'll always be with you," he told her, unable to stop himself from giving her one more kiss. "Be good."

Brooke watched him walk out of the house, and then went to Sam's room. She knocked softly on the door. "Sam?" she asked quietly.

"I'm fine," the girl said through the door.

Brooke could tell that the girl was crying. "Can I come in?"

"Can't you just go make out with Lucas?" Sam asked her.

Brooke opened the door and walked in. "I'll have you know that we don't just make out all the time," she told the girl. As she'd suspected, Sam had been crying. Brooke sat on the bed. "We eat sometimes."

Sam smiled a little, wiping her face. "I know," she said. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"I know," Brooke told her, putting her hand on the girls shoulder. "You're worried about Jack."

Sam nodded, more tears falling. "It seems like all I ever do in this house is cry," she told Brooke. "I don't even remember the last time I cried before coming here."

Brooke wrapped her arm all the way around the girl. "That means that you feel like you're safe enough to cry here," Brooke told her. "It's a good thing."

"Why hasn't he called me?" Sam asked. "I've called him all day and he hasn't called me back."

"I don't know," Brooke told her. "But he said that he'd come here if he was in danger, and I believe he meant it."

"If he could," Sam whispered.

Brooke held her for a few minutes, letting the girl cry. "I know what we need," she said. Sam looked at her. "We need ice cream."

They went into the kitchen and Brooke fixed them both a bowl of ice cream, sitting down at the table with Sam. "Karen used to do this for me," she told the girl, remembering.

"She sounds really nice," Sam told her.

"She is," Brooke said. "You'll get to meet her tomorrow."

Sam looked scared. "What if she doesn't want to meet me?"

"She'll want to meet you," Brooke told her. "And she'll love you."

"No one loves me," Sam said. "No one but Jack."

"That's not true," Brooke told her.

Sam shrugged. "It's okay."

"No, Sam, that's not okay," Brooke told her. "People care about you. Haley cares about you, Lucas cares about you, and I care about you."

Sam looked down, uncomfortable. "Why hasn't anyone been able to find my aunt yet?"

"Haley doesn't have a lot to go on," Brooke reminded her. "She'll find her."

"What if she doesn't want me?" Sam whispered. "What if she changed her mind?"

"Then you'll stay here," Brooke told her.

Sam's head jerked up. "You can't mean that," she said.

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it," Brooke told her.

"But that's crazy," Sam said. "You don't even know me."

"I know enough," Brooke told her.

"You know that I stole from you and snuck a boy into your house," Sam said.

"Those are things you did," Brooke told her. "It's not who you are."

"I'm not used to having people care about me," Sam admitted softly.

Brooke thought that was one of the saddest things she'd ever heard. "You'll have to get used to it," Brooke told her. "I did." She smiled. "And for a long time I didn't think I deserved to have people care about me. I did things…so many stupid things. But people still loved me. And eventually, I realized that I was worth loving." She squeezed Sam's hand. "I hope it doesn't take you as long as it took me."

"I can't imagine you ever feeling like that," Sam told her.

"Having good friends make all the difference," Brooke told her. "And you have us…and you have Jack."

"He's my best friend," Sam told her. "I can't imagine anything happening to him."

"Hopefully nothing will," Brooke told her. She started to say something else but her cell phone rang. She didn't recognize the ring tone. "Hold on just a sec," she told Sam, going to the counter and getting her phone. Still not recognizing the number, she answered it. "Hello?"

"Is this Brooke Davis?" a deep voice asked her.

"Yes, I'm Brooke Davis," she said.

"Ms. Davis, this is Fire Chief Jim Brody. We're at your house."

Brooke felt the blood drain from her face. "My house? Why are you there?"

"We're going to need you to get here as soon as possible."

"What's going on?" Brooke demanded. Sam moved beside her, worried.

"We were called out about an hour ago," the man told her. "I'm afraid we weren't able to save the house."

Brooke shook her head. "You're saying that my house burned down?"

"It's still burning," he told her, "but yes."

"All of my things…" she whispered. "My house."

"Do you need a car to come pick you up?" he asked her, his tone more gentle.

"No," Brooke said, still in shock. "I'm coming." She hung up and looked at Sam. "My house is burning."

Sam, unsure what to say, grabbed the keys to Brooke's car. "Let's go."

Brooke nodded, following the young girl out of the house, running on autopilot. Why would her house be on fire? What was going on?


	22. Chapter 22

Brooke ran to the man standing in front of her house. She could feel the heat of the fire on her face, and the smoke was so thick it choked her. "What's happening?" she cried.

"You need to step back, miss," the man told her.

"This is my house!" she yelled.

"Miss Davis?" a man behind her asked.

Brooke turned to find a large man walking toward her. "Why is it still burning?" she asked him. Sam stood beside her, silent.

The man pulled Brooke away from the fire. "Miss Davis, I'm Chief Brody. I spoke with you on the phone."

Brooke looked back at her house as he led her away. All of her pictures and memories were stored in that house. "Why?" she asked, shaking her head.

Chief Brody looked into her tear streaked face and sighed. "We don't know," he told her. "It was obviously arson; we do know that."

Brooke was floored. "Someone did this? On purpose?"

He nodded grimly. "One of the reasons we've not been able to put the fire out is because it encompasses every room of the house." Brooke shook her head, not understanding. "We believe that the fire was started using something similar to a Molotov Cocktail. Are you familiar with those?"

"That's when someone puts a cloth in a glass bottle of a flammable liquid, lights it and throws it, right?" Sam asked him. Brooke stared at her and Sam shrugged. "Video games."

Chief Brody nodded in agreement. "That's exactly what it is. We believe that they were thrown into several windows of the house, starting with what seems to be the master bedroom." Brooke shook her head as if to clear it and the man continued. "Once the bottle breaks and the liquid spreads, the flames follow the trail the liquid leaves. Fabric in the house would have caught fire almost immediately."

Brooke's legs suddenly fell out from under her and Chief Brody caught her, helping steady her. "So whoever did this threw the first one into my bedroom window?" she whispered.

Chief Brody looked at her sympathetically. "I'm afraid so."

"So if I'd been in my bed, sleeping…" Brooke stared at him. "The liquid would have sprayed over my bed and caught fire?"

"Holy shit," Sam said beside her, staring at the house.

"Yes," the man told her. He looked around. "An officer will be here any moment to talk with you. I'm sorry we couldn't do more to save your house."

"Wait," Sam said. "You said that you believe that several bottles were thrown. Wouldn't that mean there was more than one person?"

Chief Brody nodded. "The neighbors heard the glass breaking; they agree that the sounds came too close together to have been the result of the same perp."

"So more than one person is trying to kill me?" Brooke asked him incredulously.

Chief Brody sighed. "It would appear so, Miss Davis. Do you know of anyone who would want to hurt you?"

Brooke thought of the young nurse that had come into Quentin's room and suddenly realized why he'd looked familiar. "Oh my God," she said. "He looks like the guy that attacked me." She looked at Sam. "They have to be related!"

Sam looked at her, confused. "Who?"

Brooke put her hand on Chief Brody's arm. "The guy that attacked me," she said urgently. "The man that came into Quentin's room at the hospital looked like him."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about," he said wearily, looking at Sam. Sam shook her head, just as confused as he was.

"I need my phone!" Brooke said, searching her pockets frantically. "I don't have my phone!"

"Here," Sam said, handing it to her. "You asked me to hold it."

Brooke grabbed the phone and dialed Lucas's number. "Brooke, are you okay?" he asked, picking up after the first ring. "I'm on my way."

"You're on your way here?" she asked, surprised and momentarily forgetting why she was calling him.

"One of the cops taking Q's statement told me what happened," Lucas told her. "I'm on my way to your house."

"Lucas, the nurse that came into Q's room looked like the man that attacked me," she told him. "They have to be related."

"Don't move until I get there, okay?" Lucas told her. "The police are on their way."

"Okay," Brooke told him, looking at her house.

"You're going to be okay, baby," he told her. "I promise."

Brooke nodded, though he couldn't see it. She ended the call and looked at Chief Brody. "I think I know who wants to kill me."

OTHOTHOTHOTHOTH

Brooke sat on the curb and stared at the dying embers of what used to be her house. Lucas was still talking to one of the officers and Sam was asleep with her head on Brooke's shoulder. Brooke was emotionally exhausted, unable to even cry any more.

Lucas said something and nodded to the officer, then walked over and sat beside Brooke. "They'll find him," he told her.

Brooke made a face. "It's more than one person, Luke," she said hoarsely. "More than one person tried to kill me last night."

Lucas nodded, staring at what was left of the house. "I'm so sorry," he told her. "I should have been here."

"There was nothing you could do," she told him. "There was nothing anyone could do. The house was gone the minute they threw the bottles in the windows." She looked at the house beside hers. "The Conner's said that they saw my bedroom in flames while the other bottles were being thrown around the house. Someone thought that I was in this house and asleep. They didn't want me to be able to get out," she finished in a whisper.

"I wish they'd gotten a glimpse of the people who did this," Lucas said. "Anything would be better than nothing."

"We know one of the guys who did this," she reminded him. "It can't be a coincidence."

Lucas frowned. "If you weren't around, not only would you not be able to identify the man that came into Q's room…you wouldn't be around to testify against Xavier."

Brooke shuddered at the name of the man who'd attacked her. "Did the police say they were going to talk to him?"

"Another unit was already doing that," he told her. He sighed. "Xavier gave them nothing."

"If this guy is related to him, maybe they live together?"

"The police are going to search his house. Maybe they'll find something."

"What if they don't?" Brooke asked quietly. "Will they just stop? Will they just leave me alone?" She looked into his eyes. "Or am I going to have to stay scared until they find me?"

Lucas gazed intently into her eyes. "Listen to me, Brooke," he told her. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"You can't be with me every minute," she reminded him. "You have work, your book tour, the movie…"

"I'm cancelling the book tour," Lucas told her. Brooke started to protest and he shook his head. "Brooke, I'm not leaving here. I'm not leaving you."

"What about 'The Comet,' though?" she asked him.

"Lindsay said that the book should sell well because of the press from the movie," he reminded her. "And even if staying here meant I wouldn't sell a single copy, I'd do it." He took her hand. "You're more important than a book, Brooke," he told her. "You're the most important thing in my life."

"Even when I try to sleep, your mush penetrates my brain," Sam groaned, sitting up. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the house. "Damn."

Brooke thought about bringing attention to the fact that suddenly the girl was cussing like a sailor but decided against it. She felt like cussing herself. "It's just a house," she said, taking a breath. She looked at Lucas. "It's just a house, right?"

Lucas nodded. "It's just a house."

"I bet it was a nice one, though," Sam said, looking at the neighboring houses in the soft light of the morning. "This is a nice neighborhood." Brooke and Lucas stared at her. "What?" Sam said defensively. "Sorry."

"What do we do now?" Brooke said.

"Well I'm going to school," Sam said. She frowned, looking at her phone. "Jack never called me back, but he might be there today." She put the phone back in her pocket and looked at the couple. "I hope."

"I'm supposed to help Nathan look for Dan," Lucas told them. "I took the rest of the week off; Skills is going to handle the team for me." He looked at Brooke. "I'm going to call him and cancel, though."

"You shouldn't cancel," Brooke told him. "I can hang out with Haley after school while you guys do…whatever it is you're going to do."

Lucas rubbed his face, groaning tiredly. "Whatever we do, we need to go home and get cleaned up, get some rest."

Brooke nodded. "Sam, are you sure you should go to school? Aren't you exhausted?"

The girl stood up. "I'll just sleep through my classes," she said.

Lucas smiled. "I'm sure your teachers will love that," he joked.

"They probably will," Brooke said, standing up. "At least then she won't be causing trouble."

Sam grinned. "It'll be like a mini vacation for them."

Brooke looked back at the smoking mess. "I need a mini vacation," she grumbled.

Lucas put his arm around her. "When all of this is over, I'll make that happen."

Brooke leaned her head into his shoulder. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

"Yes," Sam groaned, walking ahead of them. "Trust me, you have."

Brooke grinned at Lucas, who winked at her and leaned down for a quick kiss. "I really do," she whispered.

"I heard that," Sam complained, getting into Brooke's car.

Lucas laughed. "I heard it too," he whispered back to Brooke.


	23. Chapter 23

Brooke pulled the door open and was surprised to find Victoria standing on the other side of it. "You look surprised," the older woman told her. "I imagine that you're not as surprised as I was to go by my daughter's house and find nothing but a smoldering pile of rubble."

"Mom!" Brooke said, hugging her. "I'm so sorry! I should have called you."

"That would have been nice," Victoria told her, walking into the house. "Luckily, your neighbors told me that you're staying here with Lucas, who is now apparently your fiancé?" She turned around and looked at Brooke. "I know that we're new to this 'mother/daughter' type of relationship, but can you imagine how upsetting it was for me to see your house burned to the ground and not know if you were alive or dead? Or that your neighbors know you're getting married and I don't?"

After the day she'd already had, Brooke hadn't thought she could feel worse. She'd been wrong. "I'm sorry," she said again, sincerely. "I really am."

Victoria surprised her again by pulling her into another hug. "What is going on?" the woman asked Brooke, holding her tightly.

"Someone is trying to kill me," Brooke told her.

"Well that's not going to happen," the woman said, pulling back. "I won't allow it."

Brooke couldn't help but laugh. "You sound like Lucas."

"Ah, yes. Lucas," Victoria said, sitting down at the kitchen table. "Someone is trying to kill you and yet you've managed to get your man back?"

"It's all just happened so quickly," Brooke told her. "When I talked to you after the second attack he and I talked…and we're in love."

Victoria shook her head, pulling out the sketches Brooke had been working on at the store. "Is that 'love' what caused this?" She spread them out over the table.

Brooke grimaced. "Do you hate them?"

"I think they're the best work you've ever done," Victoria told her.

"Really?" Brooke asked her happily.

"Really." Victoria said.

Someone knocked on the door and before either woman could answer it Peyton came rushing into the house. "Brooke!" she cried, grabbing the startled woman and hugging her tightly. "Your house is gone!"

Brooke hugged her back. "I know."

Peyton stepped back. "What happened?" she asked, searching her friend for injuries.

"Some people burned it down," Brooke told her.

"Some people?" the two women said together. Peyton looked down at Victoria, noticing her for the first time. "Victoria," she said as civilly as she could.

"You," Victoria said, her nose up.

"Mom," Brooke groaned, rolling her eyes.

Victoria exaggerated a sigh. "It's lovely to see you again Peyton," she said.

Peyton shook her head, looking wide eyed at Brooke. "She's had a stressful morning," Brooke told her friend.

"What do you mean "some people" burned your house down?" Victoria asked. "More than one?"

"I guess so," Brooke told them, sighing. She and Peyton both sat down.

"Well what are you going to do?" Victoria asked her.

"The police have left the guard out front," Brooke told them.

"I saw him on the way in," Peyton said. "It scared me to death to see that there was a cop car in front of the house."

Brooke nodded. "I'll have an officer with me everywhere I go," she told them. "Until whoever these people are are caught."

"You can't live like this forever," Victoria said. "Do the police not have any leads? How can we plan a wedding when someone's trying to kill you?"

Peyton looked at the woman like she was nuts but Brooke nodded. "I know it's a silly thing to worry about right now," she told them, "but I'm not sure when I'll be able to plan the wedding. And I hate putting it off for so long. I just want to be married and live happily ever after…like now."

Peyton put her hand over Brooke's. "We'll figure something out," she told her friend. "Where is Lucas?"

"He and Nathan are out looking for Dan."

"Dan Scott?" the other women asked at the same time. Victoria glared at Peyton.

"Really?" Peyton said, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah. He's missing," Brooke told them, choosing to ignore their behavior. They were two of the most important people in her life; they were going to have to learn to get along.

"And the boys care?" Victoria asked.

Brooke nodded. "Haley was the one who realized he was missing."

Peyton frowned. "With it being Dan, there's surely any number of people who'd want to hurt him."

Victoria nodded. "It seems like an odd coincidence that all hell is breaking loose in Tree Hill at once, though, doesn't it?"

"That's what I was thinking," Peyton said. She turned to Brooke. "Do you think there's any way Dan being missing could have something to do with the people trying to hurt you?"

"I don't see how," Brooke told them thoughtfully. "It wouldn't make sense."

"None of this makes sense," Victoria told her.

"How's Jake?" Brooke asked Peyton, changing the subject.

Peyton blushed. "Jake?" Victoria said. "I thought you were in love with Lucas too?"

"Mom!" Brooke cried, mortified.

Victoria shrugged. "Hasn't that always been the problem with you and Lucas?"

Brooke opened her mouth and shut it several times. Peyton stared at the older woman. "I care about Lucas," she told her. "I'm sure I always will. But he and Brooke are in love with each other and I'm not going to get in the way of that."

"For how long?" Victoria asked her.

"Mom!" Brooke cried again, her face blood red.

Victoria looked at her. "Brooke, you've been in love with Lucas Scott since you were a teenager. I wasn't around much, but I knew that. So did Peyton. That didn't stop her from trying to take him every chance she got."

Brooke wanted the floor to open up and swallow her. She felt so badly for Peyton that she couldn't breathe. "Peyt, I'm sorry," she told the other girl.

Peyton continued to eye Victoria. "You're right," she told her. "I've made a mess of things in the past. But I'm done with all of that. Everyone is moving on."

Victoria watched Peyton for a moment, and then nodded. "Good," she said simply.

The door opened again and Sam came into the kitchen, not stopping to talk to the women as she ran into her room and shut the door. "What was that?" Victoria asked Brooke.

"It looked like a kid," Peyton said. "Why is there a kid here?"

Brooke stood up. "I need to go check on Sam," she told them. "I'll be back in a minute and I'll explain everything." She walked to the bedroom door and knocked on it. "Sam?" Without waiting for a response, she opened the door.

Sam was sitting on the floor with her back against the wall, crying. "Surprise," she said, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I'm crying."

Brooke slid down the wall beside her. "Want to talk about it?"

"Jack wasn't at school so I skipped out and went by his house."

"Oh, Sam," Brooke told her. "You shouldn't go over there."

"It's okay, because he's not there, either," the girl said. "He's gone." She hiccupped. "No one was there."

"Sam, honey, I'm sure he's fine," Brooke told her.

"Really?" Sam said. "Your house was just burned down. You were attacked. Lucas's dad is missing. All of that's happening right now, right here in Tree Hill. How can you say you know Jack is fine?"

"I don't," Brooke told her honestly. "But I can hope for it."

"I don't want to just hope," Sam told her miserably. "I want him to be here, with me. I want him to be okay."

Brooke put her arm around the girl. "Me too," she said.

Sam wiped her face. "Who are those two women in the kitchen?"

"The older one is Victoria, my mom. The other is my friend Peyton."

"_The_ Peyton?" Sam asked her.

"Yeah, _the_ Peyton," Brooke said, smiling at the girl.

"Why are they here?"

"They worry about me," Brooke told her. "They just wanted to check on me."

"You're lucky you have so many people that care about you."

Brooke nodded. "They'll care about you, too, once they get to know you."

Sam sighed. "Do I have to meet them?"

"Eventually," Brooke told her. "If you want to stay in here for now, I'm sure they'll understand. But if you feel like coming out to meet them, come on. Okay?" Sam nodded. "Let me know if you need me," Brooke told her. "You should probably try to get some rest."

Sam stood with her and lay down on the bed. Brooke shut the door quietly and walked back into the kitchen. "Why is there a teenage girl here?" Victoria asked her.

Brooke plopped down in her chair. "She's staying with us for a while. Her name is Samantha and she's a foster kid."

"But not your foster kid, right?" Peyton asked, confused. "Because there's a process you have to go through, I think."

"Right," Brooke told them. "But her foster home is overrun with kids and she was sleeping in cars and on benches at the park. Haley told me about her, and I invited her to stay with me."

"Of course you did," Victoria said, without rancor. She knew all about her daughter's soft heart. She was so proud of everything Brooke chose to be.

"Lucas doesn't care?" Peyton asked.

Brooke shook her head. "He really likes Sam. The feeling's mutual." She sighed. "I was worried at first, but things seem to be working out pretty well."

"What's wrong with her now?" Victoria asked her.

"Her boyfriend's missing," Brooke told them. "His home life is really bad and she's worried about him."

Peyton frowned. "What's happening to Tree Hill?" she said sadly.

"I don't know," Brooke told her. "Hey, what happened to Mick?"

"Who's Mick?" Victoria asked.

"Peyton's father," Brooke told her.

"Don't be absurd, Larry is her father," Victoria said. "Which reminds me, Peyton, how's he doing? Still single?"

Peyton made a face at the woman and looked at Brooke. "I still haven't heard from Mick," she told her friend. "I'm not sure if I should be happy or sad about that." She looked back at Victoria. "And yes, Larry is my father. And yes, he's still single."

"That's too bad," Victoria said, obviously not sincere. "Maybe I'll give him a call."

"Mom!" Brooke said, laughing a little.

Peyton grinned at her. "You can't say anything," she told Brooke. "You wanted to hook up with my dad the entire time we were growing up!"

"Yeah, but that was…he was just…why are we talking about this?" Brooke said.

Victoria splayed her hands, shrugging. "I have needs," she told the girls.

"Oooh!" both women said. "No, mother," Brooke told Victoria. "These aren't the things you tell your daughter!"

"Or the daughter of the guy you're interested in!" Peyton added.

Victoria waved their objections away. "You'll see one of these days."

Peyton looked at Brooke. "You asked me about Jake." Brooke nodded. "He's staying in town. I think I'm going to sign his band."

"That's awesome!" Brooke told her. "They sounded really good."

"I'm lucky to have found them," Peyton told her.

Brooke nodded, and then grinned slyly. "You know that's not what I meant, though."

Peyton sighed. "I don't know what's going on," she told her friend.

"Do you still have feelings for him?" Brooke asked her.

Victoria was looking through the sketches on the table, but looked up. "She obviously does. She turns a shade not known to most humans when his name is mentioned."

Peyton squinted her eyes at the woman, who just shrugged and went back to looking at the sketches. "She's right," Peyton finally admitted. "I still care about him. A lot."

"What about him? Does he feel the same way?"

"I'm not sure," Peyton told her. "We're supposed to go out to dinner tonight. Hopefully I'll find out then."

Brooke smiled at her. "I'm so happy for you."

"I am hesitantly optimistic," Peyton said.

"That's a good sign," Victoria told her. "You've always been a pessimistic little brat."

Brooke shook her head. "She just means that it's good for you to be positive."

"I know what she means," Peyton said, standing up. "She's right again. I feel happier than I have in a long time."

"I'm always right," Victoria told them.

Brooke and Peyton laughed as Brooke walked Peyton to the door. "I'm glad you came by."

Peyton hugged her. "I love you," she told Brooke. "Call me if you need anything, okay?"

"I will," Brooke promised. "Say hi to Jake for me."

When Peyton had left, Victoria sat back in the chair. "She's more tolerable now."

"Why's that?" Brooke asked her, getting a glass of water. She offered Victoria one and the woman shook her head.

"Because she's not standing in the way of my daughter's happiness."

"So you didn't like Peyton because she was with Lucas?"

Victoria shrugged. "Mostly. You have to admit, though, that she really was extremely annoying at times when you two were friends. Every time I saw her running a red light I wanted to jerk her out of the car by her hair and slap her. Killing someone else wouldn't bring her mother back."

Brooke nodded. "She's doing better now, I think."

"She'll be fine," Victoria told her. "I'm going to fax these sketches to New York. I'll be at the store for the rest of the day if you need me."

"But they're not done," Brooke protested.

"Brooke, I told you; this is the best work you've ever done. You don't need to do anything else to them."

"I'm glad you like them," Brooke told her, smiling. It meant a lot to her that her mother thought they were good.

"Is it okay to leave you alone?"

"Yes," Brooke told her. "There's an officer out front and I'm going over to Haley's in a little while. I'll be fine."

"You know where I'm staying," Victoria told her, standing. "I love you, Brooke."

"I love you too, Mom," Brooke told her. When the older woman had left she did a little happy dance. People were trying to kill her, but her mom loved her. An even trade? Brooke wasn't sure, but she'd take it.


	24. Chapter 24

"Jamie," the woman called softly to the little boy as he entered the hallway at school.

Jamie stopped walking and looked at her. "Nanny Carrie?" he asked, startled. He backed away.

"No, Jamie, don't go," the woman told him. "I need to talk to you about your Grandpa Dan."

Jamie stopped moving. "What about him?" he asked hesitantly.

"Your parents won't let him see you," Carrie told the boy, looking around.

Jamie shook his head. "That's not true. He's missing."

"He's not missing, Jamie, he's at my house," the woman told him with a warm smile. "He asked me to come find you. He really wants to see you. You know he's been sick, right?"

Jamie nodded. "My dad says that he'll get better. He always does."

"I hope so," Carrie told him. She looked around the hallway again. "Jamie, I can't stay here. Your parents have told everyone that I wanted to hurt you, so if someone sees me I'll get in trouble." She smiled sadly. "But I would never hurt you, Jamie. I love you. And so does your Grandpa Dan."

"How would I know you're telling the truth?" Jamie asked her.

Carrie held her phone out to Jamie, turning sideways as a harried teacher rushed past. "Here's a picture of us together," she told Jamie quietly.

Jamie looked at the screen and saw that it really was his grandpa and Carry. "Why does he look so weird?" Jamie asked her.

"He's in a lot of pain," Carrie told him. "He's afraid he's going to die. All he wants is to see you again, but your parents won't let him." She put the phone up. "Will you come, Jamie? Just to say hi to your grandpa? It would mean so much to him."

Jamie wasn't sure what happened the last time Nanny Carrie had taken him, but he'd been scared. Grandpa Dan had come to get him, and his parents had been really happy. Jamie hadn't wanted another nanny after that and had been a little nervous around new people. But if Grandpa Dan was with Nanny Carrie, she couldn't be that bad, right? He nodded to Nanny Carrie, putting his hand in her outstretched one.

Carrie smiled widely. "He's going to be so happy," she told Jamie, leading him out a side door and towards her car.

"Can I call my mom after I talk to Grandpa Dan? Just so she won't worry?"

"Oh, she won't worry," Carrie told him as she helped him into the backseat and shut the door. "Nanny Carrie has taken care of everything."

OTHOTHOTHOTHOTHOTH

Brooke walked into the school, going to the office. Haley had asked her to pick Jamie up since she was going by the school on her way to their house. Brooke enjoyed spending time with Jamie and she'd missed him lately. She talked to the secretary as she signed the paper, waiting for Jamie. After a few more minutes passed, she frowned. "Shouldn't he be up here by now?"

Mrs. Carver frowned as well, nodding. "Perhaps he had to stop at the little boy's room."

Brooke looked up at the clock. "Do you think it would be okay for me to go look for him?"

"Feel free," the older woman told her. "I'll call you over the intercom if he shows up here before you find him."

Brooke thanked the woman and walked into the hallway. Only a few students remained in the school, and teachers stood outside their classroom doors talking to each other. "Excuse me," Brooke said to one of the women, "have you seen Jamie Scott?"

She hadn't. None of them had. As Brooke moved from teacher to teacher and hallway to hallway, she began to get panicked. Where was he? She went to all three boys bathrooms, not finding him in any of them. She used her cell phone to call Haley but it went straight to voicemail. Trying her house, she didn't get an answer. Frustrated, she dialed Lucas's number as she walked towards the office.

"Hey Pretty Girl," he said, answering.

"Lucas, are you with Nate?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I came to the school to pick up Jamie but I can't find him. You guys didn't pick him up, did you?"

Lucas covered the phone and said something to Nathan. "Brooke?" Nathan said into the phone after a moment. "You can't find Jamie?"

Brooke reached the office, not seeing the boy. "He's not here, Nathan," she said frantically. She shook her head at Mrs. Carver, who ran to get the principal. "I've looked everywhere. I know Haley didn't pick him up because I was on the phone with her when I pulled into the parking lot."

"Did you call her?"

"She said she was going to take a shower and isn't answering either phone." She looked around. "What do I do?"

"We're coming," Nathan told her, hanging up.

The principal came out and talked to Brooke, locking down the school and calling the police. Brooke and several other teachers moved through the school, calling for the boy. "Brooke Davis?" she heard a voice say behind her.

She whirled around and looked at the man. "Julian Baker? What are you doing here?"

"The same thing I'm doing all over Tree Hill," he told her. "Checking the place out."

"The elementary school?"

Julian shrugged. "You all went here," he told her. "Some of the teachers remember you. Some of them even remember you fondly." He grinned charmingly, but the smile slipped off of his face when he realized how upset she was. "What's going on?"

"Nathan and Haley's little boy Jamie is missing," she told him.

"Jamie Scott?" Julian asked her, walking beside her. Brooke nodded. "Didn't the kid get kidnapped not too long ago?"

Brooke nodded, feeling light headed. She put her hand on Julian's arm and he stopped with her. "He can't be gone," she told him. "He's just a little boy. This can't happen again."

Julian frowned, looking around. "I'll call Lindsay," he told her. "She'll come help look for him."

Brooke nodded, going into another classroom. "Jamie!" she called out. Nothing. This was her fault. If she'd come earlier, had someone wait with him, _something_, this wouldn't be happening.

She and Julian continued to walk together. She heard teachers calling out for Jamie and the occasional announcement over the intercom after a section of the school was cleared. No one had found him. "We'll find him," Julian told her.

Brooke took a deep breath and nodded, but she was beginning to fear that wasn't true. Julian didn't tell her that she had tears running down her face; he knew there wouldn't be anything she could do about it even if she knew.

After they'd looked for a few minutes she heard Lucas calling out her name. Her knees felt weak at the sound of his voice and she almost fell. Lucas wrapped his arms around her, catching her. "Brooke," he told her, looking into her eyes. "I'm here, okay?"

"We can't find him, Luke," she told him thickly. "He's gone."

Lucas looked back to see Nathan talking to the principal. They'd finally reached Haley and she was on her way to the school. The police had arrived and were using the office as a base, creating search maps. He couldn't believe any of this was happening. "We'll find him," he told her. He looked down into her tear streaked face and saw her fear. Maybe they wouldn't be so lucky this time; maybe Jamie would really be gone for good. The thought hit him like a punch in the gut.

"Lindsay is on her way," Julian told Lucas.

Lucas looked at the man, noticing him for the first time. "Julian?"

"I was here scoping out the school," the man told him. "Brooke told me what's going on. I want to help; so does Lindsay."

Lucas nodded. Brooke had told Lucas that she thought there was something going on between Julian and Lindsay and Lucas was happy for them. From what he could tell, Julian was one of the good guys. He would take care of Lindsay.

Nathan joined them. "They're spreading the search throughout town. They've issued an Amber Alert," he said, his throat working. "We'll find him."

"Nathan, I'm so sorry," Brooke told him, holding on to Lucas.

Nathan shook his head. "You didn't do anything wrong, Brooke," he told her.

Julian spotted Lindsay and waved her over. "Sorry it took so long," she said, slightly out of breath.

Julian kissed her on the forehead and looked at Nathan. "Where do we start?"

"They're setting up the search parties in the office," he told them, walking back towards the room. "We'll find out there."

"Lucas, find out where we're going," Brooke told him. "I'm going to call Peyton." Lucas nodded grimly and Brooke made the call. After that one, she called Millie, Mouth, Skills and Victoria. "Mom, I need you," she told the older woman.

"Are you okay?" Victoria asked her, concerned.

"I am," she told her mother. "But Jamie is missing. Can you come to the school and help us look for him?" She held her breath, unsure. She and Victoria were doing better, but she wasn't sure her mother was ready to be called on for help.

"Of course," she said, and Brooke sighed in relief. "I'll change into some jeans and sneakers and be there as soon as I can."

"Thank you," Brooke told her over the knot of emotion in her throat. She hung up before she made more of a fool out of herself and began crying again.

Lucas walked out of the office and found her leaning against the wall. "Brooke," he said, wrapping her in his arms again. "This isn't your fault," he told her softly. "I know that's what's going through your head. Stop it."

"I can't help it," she told him. "I was supposed to pick him up, to take care of him."

"But you hadn't picked him up yet," Lucas reminded her. "The school is supposed to keep him safe."

Brooke nodded. She knew that, but she couldn't stop feeling guilty. "Where are we going?" she asked, straightening up. She wasn't helping Jamie by leaning against the wall and feeling sorry for herself.

"We're going down these two streets," Lucas told her, pointing at a map. "We're going to stop at every house, check out every shed, garage, basement…everything."

Brooke nodded. "Victoria is coming," she told him.

"That's nice of her," Lucas said.

"I thought so," Brooke agreed. "So are Peyton, Mouth, Millie, and Skills."

Lucas felt a rush of gratitude for their friends. In times like this, the entire town of Tree Hill would come together. They'd find Jamie. They had to. "Let's go," he told her, taking her hand.

They walked out to her car and he opened the passenger door for her. When he got in behind the wheel he looked at her. "What is it?"

"Jack is missing, Q was shot, my house was burned down and now Jamie is missing," she told him.

"Don't forget that you were attacked and that Dan is missing," Lucas reminded her.

Brooke's hand touched her face. "You're right."

Lucas pulled out of the school parking lot. Already, people were arriving in car loads to help search for the missing boy. He spotted a news van among the many vehicles. "Are you thinking they're all connected?"

"Don't they have to be?" Brooke asked him, turning in her seat to look at him. "These sorts of things don't happen here very often. Tree Hill is usually a quiet, safe town."

"There have been other things," he told her. "Remember Peyton's stalker? Dante? Nanny Carrie?"

Brooke was quiet for a moment. "But maybe one of them is involved," she said after a while. "Not Dante, of course. He's dead. But Ian or Carrie…maybe we should check them out."

Lucas nodded. "Ian might be easy enough to find, but no one knows where Carrie is."

"There has to be some way to find her," Brooke said. "She's taken Jamie before. Maybe she took him again."

"I thought that, too," Lucas told her. "I'm sure everyone is thinking it. That or…"

Brooke looked at him. "That or what?"

Lucas sighed. "That or that Dan took him."

"Dan didn't take him," Brooke told him.

"How can you say that?"

"I just can," Brooke told him. "If Dan took him, then all of these things aren't connected."

"Maybe they're not."

Brooke sighed, frustrated. "We're talking in circles," she said. She held his hand, grateful for the warmth of it. "We'll figure it all out later."

"After we find Jamie," he said.

She nodded. "After we find Jamie."


	25. Chapter 25

They didn't find Jamie. Both Brooke and Lucas felt like crying as they pulled up to the house, but they were too tired. "We'll find him," Lucas said again after he'd turned off the car. Brooke nodded but didn't say anything. "Sam's home?"

"Yeah," Brooke told him. "Still no word from Jack."

Lucas's head fell back against the headrest. They'd been lucky in that everywhere they'd been the people had let them search their houses and buildings. Brooke had been afraid people would be insulted or offended, but everyone seemed to truly want to help. Lucas rolled his head to look at her. He knew she was exhausted. "You okay?"

Brooke shook her head, looking at him. "It was good to see Peyton and Victoria working together, though."

Lucas couldn't help but laugh. "I'm pretty sure that Peyton would have slapped her if she'd "accidentally" touched Jake's butt one more time."

Brooke grinned tiredly. "That's my mom." She sighed. "Peyton and Jake look happy, don't you think?"

"Yeah, they do," Lucas told her, taking her hand. "So do Lindsay and Julian."

"He's so odd," Brooke told him. "He's always just hanging around. I like him, though, don't you?"

"I do," Lucas told her. "I guess he really wants to get a feel for Tree Hill." He was silent for a moment. "This movie is really going to get made."

"I think Julian would have it made next week if he could," Brooke told him. "I've never seen a man so excited about something."

"What about me?" Lucas asked her.

"What about you?"

"Don't I seem excited?" Brooke just looked at him. "I'm marrying the woman of my dreams."

"And I'm marrying the man of mine." Brooke smiled tiredly. "I think I'd have this wedding next week if I could," she told him. "I've never seen a woman so excited about something."

Lucas smiled back at her. "I see what you did there," he told her.

"We're going to get married, Luke," she told him. "If we could tomorrow, I would. But we have to find Jamie. And Jack. And Dan."

"What are we going to do?" Lucas asked quietly.

"I don't know," Brooke told him. "Every time I think about Jamie being somewhere, alone and scared, I can't breathe."

"I keep trying to figure out when the last time I saw Dan was. We don't even know how long he's been gone."

Brooke looked at the house. "We need to get in and check on Sam."

Lucas nodded and got out of the car, going around to open Brooke's door and help her out. "Sam," Brooke called out as she entered the house.

Sam came into the kitchen. "Did you guys find Mrs. Scott's kid?"

"Jamie," Lucas told her. "And no, we didn't find him." Thinking about Jamie made his heart hurt; he couldn't even imagine what Haley and Nathan were going through.

Sam leaned against the counter. "How's Mrs. Scott?"

"She's still looking," Brooke told her.

"Are there a lot of people still looking?"

Lucas nodded. "We came home to sleep for a few hours, and then we're going back out."

"Can I come?" Sam asked. "I hate just sitting here."

Lucas nodded. "No word from Jack?" he asked her.

"No," Sam told him. "It's going straight to voicemail now."

"I'm sorry, honey," Brooke told her, rubbing the girl's back.

"Maybe if we're looking for Jamie we can look for Jack too?"

"Of course we will," Lucas told her.

"Has he ever disappeared like this before?" Brooke asked her.

"He quit coming to school once," Sam told them. "It wasn't like this, though."

"What do you mean?"

"He didn't come to school because of the bruises," Sam told them, grimacing.

Brooke and Lucas looked at each other. "We haven't forgotten about Jack, Sam," Lucas told her.

Brooke nodded. "If we could just talk to the police, let them know he's missing…"

"No!" Sam cried. She took a deep breath. "You can't. He said we can't."

"No one can look for him if they don't know he's missing," Lucas told her.

"Please don't? Please?"

Brooke put her head on Lucas's shoulder. "We won't right now," she told him. "But if you don't hear from him tomorrow I think we should tell the police."

Sam thought about it. "Okay," she said, finally. "You two are going to get some rest?"

Lucas nodded. "Be ready to head out in about three hours," he told her. He took Brooke's hand and led her to their room. He shut the door behind them and led Brooke to the bed. He knew she was exhausted and terrified; it showed in her face. He kissed her softly while slowly lifting her shirt up and over her head, tossing it behind them. He undid her jeans and slid them off of her as well, grabbing one of his shirts from the laundry basket beside the bed. He pulled it over her head and kissed her once again, pulling the blanket back and pushing her gently down on the bed. When she was situated he quickly stripped down and laid beside her, gathering her into his arms.

"The entire world could be on fire and I wouldn't care so long as I was in your arms," he told her.

Brooke nodded, looking up at him. "I was thinking…"

Lucas smiled a little. "That can be dangerous," he teased her.

Brooke rolled her eyes and grinned. "I was thinking that after we find Jamie and Dan and Jack, maybe we could go to Vegas."

"Go to Vegas?"

"To get married."

"You don't want to go to Vegas," Lucas said, confused. "You've had a huge wedding planned out since you were three."

"It's not huge," she told him, poking him in the ribs. "Just friends and family."

"You have more friends than most people."

Brooke sighed. "But just my real friends, you know? Just the people that really know me and still love me."

"Everyone that really knows you loves you, Brooke. You're the most lovable person I know."

"Lucas," she whined, smiling. "You know what I mean!"

Lucas chuckled, nodding. "I know what you mean." He switched the light beside the bed off. "All the things I said were true, though."

Lucas wrapped his arms around her and she closed her eyes, as content as she could be with her godson missing. She tried to work out how all of the events of the last month could be connected but fell asleep thinking of Xavier.

Sam and Lucas were up before she was, getting everything ready to go. Brooke heard them talking quietly and got up, putting her clothes back on. She'd thought about taking a shower but decided against it. Jamie was out there somewhere, and they needed to find him. She could shower later.

"Hey," Lucas said as she walked into the living room. "Did you get enough rest?"

"I think I feel worse now than if I'd had no sleep at all," Brooke admitted. "I keep thinking about Xavier," she told him.

Sam, who had been packing her backpack, looked up. "Xavier?"

Brooke nodded. "The guy that attacked me."

"His name was Xavier?" Sam asked.

"Yes."

Sam sat down on the couch, staring at Brooke. "Jack's older brother is named Xavier."

Lucas looked at her, making a face. "Are you sure?"

Sam nodded. "He has a big "X" tattooed on his back," she told him.

Brooke didn't say anything for a minute, just staring at Sam. "You said that Jack lives with his brother and his cousin, right?"

"Cousins," Sam told her. "Mikey and Carrie."

Brooke felt like the room was spinning. She looked at Lucas and he rushed towards her. "That's how they're all connected," she told him.

Lucas nodded grimly. "Sam, can you take us to their house?"

Sam nodded. "But no one's there," she reminded them.

"We still need to see the house," Brooke told her. She looked at Lucas. "You should call Nathan. He can tell the police; maybe they can meet us there."

"No," Sam said. "No cops."

"Samantha, this changes everything," Brooke told the girl. "These people might have Jamie and Dan."

Sam watched them. "I just don't want him to hate me," she said quietly. "I don't want him to get hurt."

"Sam, we're going to do everything we can to save Jack, okay?" Lucas told her. "We'll find a new home for him."

"I don't want to lose him," she told them. "Please don't make me lose him."

Lucas nodded and walked into the other room to call Nathan. "We're not going to lose anyone," Brooke told the girl.

When Lucas came back into the room he nodded. "I told Nathan and he's going to talk to the police." They all walked out the door and to Brooke's car. "I told him that we're going by the house, but that Sam said no one has been there. We'll probably meet them there."

Once they were on their way, Brooke looked at Lucas. "I'm thinking that Mickey is the guy that came into Quentin's room."

Lucas nodded. "That's what I figure," he told her. "And Carrie is probably the one that took Jamie. Again."

"Carrie had a son," Sam told them from the backseat.

"What happened to him?" Brooke asked, looking back at the girl.

"She left him with Mikey and Jack while she went out. Jack snuck out to see me and Mikey wasn't paying any attention to the little boy. He somehow got out of the house and fell into the pond behind it. Jack found him when he went back home."

"Oh God," Brooke said, looking at Lucas. "That's horrible."

"Is that why she wants Jamie so much?" Lucas wondered aloud.

Sam shrugged. "They sort of look alike," she said after a while. "I'd never thought about it before. She's as scary as X; I've never liked to be around her."

The only conversation they had for the rest of the drive was Sam giving Lucas directions. "The cops aren't here yet," Lucas remarked as they got closer.

"Luke, maybe we shouldn't pull up to the house," Brooke said. "If someone's here, they'll see us and run."

Lucas pulled over to the side of the road and shut the car off. Brooke was right. "You two stay in the car," he told them. "I'll go check it out."

"Like hell," Brooke told him.

"I'm not staying in the car," Sam told him.

Lucas closed his eyes and leaned his head on the steering wheel. "This could be dangerous," Lucas told them. "It will be even more dangerous if you two go with me."

"I'm going," Brooke said stubbornly. "Sam, you should stay in the car, though."

Sam rolled her eyes. "We're wasting time," she told them. "Let's just go."

Lucas sighed and nodded. "If I say to run to the car, that means you both run to the car, okay?"

"Okay," they both said. Neither of them had any intention of running to the car, and they both figured that Lucas knew that.

"It's really dark," Brooke said as they walked towards the house. "Maybe we should grab the flashlights?" Lucas shook his head.

"Going to Hell House in the dark," Sam said beside them. "It's like a dream come true."

"You call it Hell House?" Brooke asked her.

"Can you think of a better name for it?"

Lucas and Brooke both shook their heads. "We should have brought a baseball bat or something," Lucas said.

"I figured the cops would be here," Brooke told him.

"Should we wait until they get here?"

Brooke shook her head. "Jamie could be in there."

Lucas nodded again. They reached the edge of the lawn and stopped. "Should we go around the back?"

"No one uses the front door," Sam told them. "There's a side door that leads into the kitchen and a door that leads straight down into the basement."

They started walking towards the house. "This is really dumb," Lucas muttered. "What are we doing?"

The girls didn't have an answer. It _was_ dumb. Really, really dumb. "Jamie," Brooke said under her breath. Jamie could be in there. They had to look.

Lucas stopped at the door to the kitchen and looked in the window, seeing nothing. "There's a light on, but it's not close," he told them. "Let's look in some of the windows."

Brooke and Sam went to the front of the house to look in the windows there while Lucas went around back. "I think I see someone moving," Sam said nervously.

Brooke nodded, moving back to the side of the house to tell Lucas. He walked towards her, a questioning look on his face. Brooke opened her mouth to tell him what they'd seen when the kitchen door was thrown open. "Lucas," she said, but it was too late. The person who stepped out of the house swung something, hitting Lucas and knocking him to the ground.

"Jack?" Sam said in horror, watching her friend drop the bat he'd been holding.


	26. Chapter 26

"Sam?" Jack said, looking down at Lucas. "Oh shit."

"What did you do?" Brooke yelled, running to Lucas. He groaned and rolled over, his hand moving up to the back of his head.

"I'm sorry," Jack said, backing up. "I didn't know it was you, I swear."

"Lucas," Brooke said, leaning over him. "Lucas, are you okay?"

"Damn," Lucas said, sitting up. He shook his head, trying to clear it.

"Jack, what are you doing here?" Sam asked him. "Why haven't you answered my calls?"

Jack looked back into the house. "I was going to," he told her. "I just stopped by here to get some money, and then I was going to drop the kid off at the police station and then just leave town. I figured I'd call you to let you know where I was going, so maybe you could come with me."

"The kid?" Brooke said, looking up. "Jamie?"

Jack nodded. "I got him away from them," he told her.

For the first time, Brooke noticed Jack's face. "Oh, Jack," she said. He looked worse than she had after her attack. "What did they do to you? Did they hurt Jamie too?"

"Jamie!" Jack called into the house. "It's okay, you can come out." He looked back at Brooke. "I told him to hide in case you guys were my cousins."

Jamie came to the doorway. When he saw Brooke, he ran out of the house and into her arms. "Aunt Brooke!" he cried. He looked down at Lucas. "Uncle Lucas!"

"Jamie," Brooke breathed, holding the little boy tightly. "Oh, Jamie, we've been so worried."

Sam moved closer to Jack. "Are you okay?" she asked him, her finger lightly touching his face.

Jack grimaced and moved his head back. "I'm going to be okay," he told her. "But we need to get out of here. Once my cousins realize the kid is missing, they'll come here."

"They hurt Grandpa Dan," Jamie said, tears streaming down his little face. "He got hurt when we left."

Jack looked at Brooke. "They shot him," he told her quietly. "He was creating a distraction so I could get Jamie out with them noticing."

"Oh no," Brooke said, frowning. She bent down to Lucas. "Luke, are you okay?" she asked him again.

"Yeah," he said, shaking his head a little. He felt the warm trickle of blood running down his neck but ignored it. "Where is Dan?" he asked Jack.

Jack pointed to a dirt road beside the house. "All the way down that road, there's a dead end. You keep walking straight for another half a mile and there's a barn. That's where we've been." He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry about your Dad, man. And about your head. I really am."

Lucas got to his feet, staggering a little. "You saved Jamie," he told Jack. "And I'm going to get my dad back."

"Lucas," Brooke said, putting her hand on his arm. "You were just hit with a bat."

He nodded slightly, wincing at the pain in his head. "Brooke, you and the kids go back to the car. Call Nathan; let him know what's happening. If Dan's been shot, I don't have time to wait for them."

"You're not going alone," she told him.

"I'll go with him," Jack told her. "It's my family."

"Jack," Sam said, reaching for her friend.

Brooke shook her head. "No, Jack, I'll go."

"Brooke, dammit, go to the car," Lucas told her.

Brooke stood in front of him, taking his face in her hands. "There is no way I could ever live with myself if I let you do this alone and something happened to you. I'm going with you, or I'm going right behind you. Either way, I'm going."

"Brooke, I can't lose you," Lucas told her. "I need you to be safe."

"Then I guess I'm going with you instead of behind you." She looked at Jack. "Is that bat the only weapon you have?"

Jack shook his head, going back into the house. He returned with a pistol. "I don't know how to use it."

"That's probably a good thing," Lucas remarked dryly, taking the gun. He checked it to make sure it was loaded, and then handed it to Brooke. She knew how to handle a gun and he was seeing two of everything; the gun would be useless in his hands. "I'll take the bat."

Brooke nodded. She looked at Sam. "Sam, you and Jack take Jamie back to the car and call Nathan. Tell them that Dan's been shot and we need an ambulance. Jack, you drive them to the police station." Jack nodded. Brooke bent down, looking at Jamie. "We're going to get your Grandpa Dan, okay? Don't worry."

"What if they hurt you and Uncle Lucas too?" Jamie asked her fretfully.

"They won't, bud," Lucas told him, hugging his nephew. "We need you to be strong and take care of Sam and Jack, okay?"

Jamie nodded, hugging Lucas tightly. Brooke hugged Sam. "Be careful," Sam whispered to the woman, surprised at how much she had grown to care for her in the very short amount of time they'd been together. Brooke nodded and let her go, turning to hug Jack, surprising him. "You take care of them," she told him.

"I will," he said.

Brooke and Lucas stepped back. "Go," Lucas told them.

"Just remember," Sam told them as they started away from the house, "that now is no time to be making out."

Brooke rolled her eyes and watched as they got back to the road. She looked at Lucas. "How badly are you hurt?" she asked him quietly.

Lucas took her hand and started walking down the road. "Don't be anywhere near me if I'm swinging the bat," he told her as they walked into the moonlight.

"That's what I was afraid of," she said. She knew it was pointless to try to convince him to wait for help. She hoped the police and an ambulance would pass them on the road they were on and take over. She could shoot, but she wasn't sure she could ever kill someone.

They walked in silence, grateful for the moon. Everything seemed too quiet. "I guess they haven't noticed that Jamie and Jack are gone yet."

"It won't be long," Lucas told her, stepping over a large rock. "I don't know what's going to happen when they do."

"How are we going to go in?" she asked him.

"I don't know what kind of barn it is," he said, almost to himself. "If there's living there, it has to have doors; probably not a tobacco barn." Brooke nodded. "We'll just have to wait and see."

After they'd walked for another few minutes they heard voices. They quickly moved into the tall grass on the right of the road, hunkering down. They stayed quiet as they heard a 4 wheeler start, dropping lower to the ground as its headlights swept the area they were in as the person driving it turned around. "Find them," a man said angrily, shouting to be heard over the sound of the motor. Lucas looked at Brooke, who nodded. They'd just realized that Jamie and Jack were missing.

"That only leaves Mikey," he said as the 4 wheeler sped past them.

"We can do this," Brooke said, getting to her feet. Lucas moved more slowly, still dizzy.

They reached the end of the road and walked into the grass. Moving as quickly as possible, they saw the light from the barn almost immediately. "There it is," Lucas said.

The barn was large and had been converted into living quarters. Brooke immediately thought of the place Patrick Swayze's character had lived in for the movie Road House, and then made a face when she realized she had more important things to be thinking about than old movies. "Do you think the doors are locked?" she asked Lucas.

"Only one way to find out," he told her. They walked to the large front door and paused, listening. Not hearing anyone, he pulled on the handle. It was open.

"Should we go in?" Brooke asked.

"I think you're fine where you are," a voice said from behind them. Lucas closed his eyes when he realized how stupid they'd been. He and Brooke turned around slowly to find Mickey behind them, gun pointed at Brooke. "Drop the weapons or I'll shoot," he told them. They complied. "I know you," he said to Brooke. "You were at the hospital."

"Look," Lucas said. "We don't want any trouble."

"You some of them Jehovah's Witnesses, then?" the man asked. "Coming to spread the Good Word?" He grinned and Brooke realized that Sam had been right; these people were scary.

"We just want Dan," she said. "That's all."

"You don't want him," the man told her. "He'll be stinking after a while and there ain't no cleaner that'll get that smell out of your curtains."

Brooke gasped and Lucas closed his eyes. His father was dead; they were too late. "You killed him?"

"Naw, Carrie did. Stupid bitch, you can't give her a gun without her shooting someone," Mickey said, obviously annoyed. "We's gonna ransom that old bastard, get enough money to get the hell out of here. Now we're screwed."

"What about Xavier?" Brooke asked him.

Mickey shrugged. "He'll get out eventually. He'll know where we are."

"I have money," Brooke told him. "I can give you money."

"Oh yeah?" he asked her. "How much money you got?"

"Millions," she told him.

He snorted. "And what? You gonna walk to the nearest ATM and make a withdrawal?"

"I can go to the bank in the morning, get as much as you need."

Mickey looked behind him. "We ain't going nowhere until Carrie gets that boy back."

"She's not getting him back," Lucas told the man. "Jack took him to the police station. The cops are on their way now. You should take this time to run, get away."

The gun wavered in Mickey's hand. "You're lying."

Lucas shook his head slowly. "They'll be here any minute."

"Shit!" the man said angrily. "We shoulda left after I shot that boy, but _no_. We gotta get that brat, can't leave without him. Stupid bitch!" He spit on the ground as he said it.

"You should go now," Brooke told him. "Just leave."

"Don't fucking tell me what to do!" he screamed at Brooke, moving closer to her and putting the gun up to her head. "Don't open that whore mouth again, you fucking got me?"

Ice coursed through Lucas's veins as the man threatened Brooke. His eyes wild, spit flew out of Mickey's mouth as he screamed. Lucas couldn't hear him; a faint buzzing what all he heard as time slowed down. He looked behind the man, his head lifting in recognition and surprise. Was it a ghost? If Dan was dead then it surely was.

Mickey, noticing Lucas's expression, quickly turned and pointed the gun at Dan. Lucas pushed Brooke back and swung his arm, his elbow connecting with the side of the man's head as his gun went off. As Mickey staggered, Brooke picked up the bat and tossed it to Lucas. Lucas caught it and swung it as the other man turned around, shooting again. The bullet missed Lucas, but the bat connected. Mickey went down on his knees, dropping the gun. Lucas hit him again and the man was unconscious.

Lucas looked behind him to see Dan on his knees. "Dad," he cried, rushing towards the older man. The word came without thought and was something he'd analyze later.

Dan was holding his stomach, looking down at the blood that poured over his hands. "Lucas," he said weakly.

"We're going to get you out of here," Lucas told him. "How badly are you hurt? Did he hit you?"

Dan shook his head. "Last shot missed." He smiled at Lucas, lifting his blood stained hand. "Got hit earlier, though." He grimaced. "You came to save me," he said.

Lucas nodded, looking back for Brooke. "Brooke," he said.

"Brooke's a little busy," Carrie said, the barrel of her gun against Brooke's head.

"Where did you come from?" Lucas asked. He hadn't heard the 4 wheeler.

"I saw you in the field," she told him. "I turned around for just a second and spotted you two walking toward the barn. I parked the 4 wheeler and came back just in time to see you knock out my brother." She shook her head. "You really shouldn't have done that."

Brooke was trying to tell Lucas something with her eyes, but he had no idea what it was. He walked closer to the two women but Carrie held up her hand. "Stop," she told him. "Stop right there."

"What do you want?" Lucas asked her.

"I want my little boy back!" she screamed at him.

"Jamie is not your little boy," Brooke said.

Carrie turned to look at her. "Guess what, bitch?" she said to Brooke. "_You_ don't have a man anymore." She quickly pointed the gun at Lucas, firing off a shot. Dan, realizing what she was going to do a moment before she fired, grabbed Lucas's leg and knocked him down. The bullet that would have hit his heart instead passed through his shoulder, hitting Dan behind him.

"No!" Brooke screamed, jumping at the woman before she could fire again. Carrie swung the gun back around, pushing it into Brooke's stomach.

"I hope this hurts," Carrie said, grinning.

Lucas hadn't hit the ground after being shot. He didn't even feel the pain as he ran towards the two women, tackling Carrie. Falling, she squeezed off the shot. Lucas screamed, something in him snapping. He fell on top of her, knocking the breath out of both of them. Carrie tried to point the gun at him but he caught her arm, slamming it against the ground. She wouldn't let go of it. Lucas kept slamming her arm until he heard something snap. Screaming in pain, Carrie finally let go of the gun.

Brooke sat on the ground beside them, watching Lucas grab the weapon. "Luke," she said, her hands pressing into her side.

Lucas looked over at her, tears moving down his dust covered face. "Brooke?"

"I'm alive," she told him. "I'm going to be okay." She had been afraid that he was going to kill the other woman.

Lucas looked back at Carrie, motioning for her to stand. Cradling her arm, the woman got to her feet. "Where are you hit, Brooke?" he asked her.

"My side," she said, biting her lip at the pain. "I think it's okay."

"Dan?"

Brooke looked over at the older man. "He's down," she told him, her lower lip trembling as she looked back at him. Hearing a noise beside her, she looked over. "Lucas!" she cried as Mickey ran towards them.

Lucas turned quickly around and shot, hitting the other man in the chest. Carrie screamed, running towards Lucas. Brooke picked up the bat he'd dropped and swung from her seated position, hitting the woman in the knee. Carrie fell to the ground, writhing in pain. "Bitch," Brooke said, watching her.

"Lucas," Nathan called from the field. "It's me, okay?"

"Nathan," Lucas said, his body sagging in relief.

Nathan ran up to the barn, breathing hard. "The police should be right behind me," he told them. "I didn't want to wait."

"Dan's down," Lucas told him. "Go check on him, okay?" Nathan nodded, running over to the man.

"Lucas," Brooke said, still watching Carrie. "I think I'm going to pass out." She wasn't sure, but she thought that she'd lost too much blood.

"I'll carry you," he told her. "Can you stand?"

"You can't carry me," Brooke told him. "You've been shot too, Luke."

As if her words were the reminder he'd needed, pain shot through his shoulder, so intense he almost blacked out. He wouldn't be able to carry her. Where was the damn ambulance?

"He's alive," Nathan said, running back to Lucas. "But barely." He looked at his brother and his friend. "You've all been shot?" he asked in shocked disbelief. Lucas nodded and Nathan looked around, trying to find some way to get them to help. "Where's the damn ambulance?" he muttered, unintentionally repeating Lucas's thoughts.

Carrie was sobbing quietly, watching them. "Nathan, help me," she said. "Do you see what they've done to me? They killed my brother!" She screamed loudly, causing the others to jump.

"Can't you knock her out?" Brooke asked them.

"Carry Brooke," Lucas told his brother. "Get her out of here."

Nathan looked to the field. "There's a 4 wheeler back there," he told Lucas. "I'm going to go get it and bring it back. Can you take Dan and Brooke out of here on it if I do that?"

Lucas gritted his teeth, nodding. "Hurry, little brother."

Nathan took off running again, ignoring the pain it caused him. He wasn't entirely recovered, as much as he wanted to be. He'd left his truck on the side of the road by the house and ran the way Jack had told him, praying he'd be in time to help his family. Now he was still praying. As he ran, he tried to figure out why the police hadn't made it to them yet.

Finally reaching the 4 wheeler, Nathan had trouble lifting his leg to get on it. He'd worked hard in the gym yesterday, before his world had fallen apart. Remembering the look of urgency on Lucas's face, he forced himself on the ATV and started it. He drove straight back to the barn and parked it beside Dan. "Dad," he said, wincing as he got off the vehicle. "Dad, I need your help. I can't lift you."

Dan groaned, barely conscious. Nathan helped him up, both men stumbling. Sweat poured into Nathan's eyes, stinging them. Working together, they got Dan on the back of the 4 wheeler. Nathan got on and drove it to Lucas and Brooke. He was alarmed at how weak they both looked. "Lucas, I have to stay here with Carrie," he told his brother as he got off. "Give me the gun and take Brooke and Dan."

"I don't know if I can," Lucas told him.

"Lucas, get up," Nathan pleaded. "I don't know what else to do."

Lucas looked over at Brooke, who was slowly losing consciousness. He forced himself to stand. "Take this," he told his brother, handing him the gun. "If she moves, shoot her ass."

Both men helped Brooke up, getting her to the 4 wheeler. Lucas got on, and they worked to get Brooke on in front of him. Neither man was paying attention to Carrie, who had picked up the bat Brooke had dropped and stood up, limping her way to them.

Dan grabbed the gun from Nathan's hand and shot her as she started to swing for Nathan's back. The shot hit exactly where he was aiming; right between her eyes. "Now we can all go," he said, dropping the gun. He lost consciousness again, slumping forward.

Nathan stared at his father for a moment, and then looked at Lucas. "Can you drive?"

Lucas nodded. Nathan got onto the back of the 4 wheeler, holding onto Dan. "Let's go," he said. "I need to see my son."

Lucas drove them slowly through the field, afraid to go too fast in case he lost consciousness. They reached the house and kept going, driving the ATV out onto the road. They passed Nathan's truck; there was no way they could get off the 4 wheeler and into the other vehicle as weak as they all were. He kept going until he finally saw flashing lights.

Several police cars and an ambulance stopped in the middle of the road, EMT personnel jumping out to help them. Nathan answered some questions as he sat on the 4 wheeler while they loaded Brooke, Dan and Lucas into ambulances. "What took you guys so long?" he asked, watching police cars rush past them, presumably en route to the barn.

"The kid driving your son ran a red light, caused a pretty bad accident. We couldn't get through."

"Jamie," Nathan said, sitting up. "My son, is he okay?"

The officer nodded. "Their car wasn't involved in the accident."

"Was anyone hurt?"

Nodding again, the officer helped Nathan off the ATV. "Had to cut a couple out of their vehicles. They'll be okay, though." Seeing how much pain Nathan was in, he frowned. "Do you need an ambulance?"

Nathan shook his head. "I need to see my son."

"I'll take you," he told Nathan. He helped Nathan into the back of his cruiser and got in, radioing dispatch to tell them he was on the way to the hospital with Nathan Scott.

"Why are they at the hospital?" Nathan asked.

"Checking the kids out," the cop told him. "Standard procedure." He looked in the mirror. "The Daniel's family is a pretty tough bunch. How'd y'all get away?"

"The Scott family is tougher," Nathan said simply, closing his eyes and leaning back against the seat.


	27. Chapter 27

Brooke had spent three weeks in the hospital- longer than anyone but Dan. He was being released from the hospital later today and Lucas and Nathan had gone to see him. Dan had killed Keith and that was unforgivable…but he'd saved Jamie's life. Then he'd saved Lucas's life, Brooke's life and finally Nathan's life. He'd had quite a night.

Brooke was going mad. No one wanted her to do anything; they thought she needed to rest. Lucas, who seems to have forgotten that he had been shot himself, treated her as if she were made of glass. She should be planning her wedding, but instead she'd spent almost a month in the hospital and was now weaker than a newborn kitten. She _hated_ it.

"I'm never going to get married," she said to Peyton, who was visiting her. Brooke had been in the shower when her friend arrived, grumbling over the fact that she hadn't even seen her fiancé before he'd left this morning. Not even a kiss on the cheek!

"You'll get married," Peyton told her. "Stop being a baby."

Brooke shook her head, trying not to cry. "No, it's not going to happen," she said. "No one will even listen to me about it. I can't even mention it without someone telling me it's too soon to worry about it or that it'll all work out. Do people not want us to get married? Is that it?"

Peyton noticed the tears in her friend's eyes. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry," she said, putting her arm gently around her friend. "I didn't realize you were being serious. Of course we want you to get married."

Brooke nodded, a couple of tears falling down her face. "Karen keeps telling me that she can't wait until I'm her daughter…but when I try to talk to her about the wedding she just pats me on the shoulder and tells me it'll happen eventually. _Eventually_, Peyton."

"And it will," Peyton told her.

"It doesn't feel like it," Brooke told her sadly.

"How's Sam doing?" Peyton asked her.

"I'm driving her crazy," Brooke told her. "She willingly went out with Victoria and Karen today. And I think she wanted to see Jack."

"And things are going better for him, right?"

Brooke nodded, smiling a little. "Andy and Karen have been wonderful," she told Peyton. "Jack's still trying to get used to being in a safe home, but at least this way he can stay here."

"Have they adopted him yet?"

"It's in the works," Brooke told her. "With everything that's been going on, Karen and Andy have decided to stay here for a while, let Jack finish school here."

"I bet Sam loves that."

"She seems happy."

Peyton looked at her. "She seems happy, but is she?"

Brooke sighed. "I think she's worried because we still haven't found her aunt."

"With the investigators that Andy hired and everyone who's looking, I'm sure she'll turn up," Peyton said.

"I don't know if I want her to," Brooke admitted. At Peyton's surprised look, Brooke shook her head. "Sam has become a part of our family. She just…fits."

"Brooke, she's a teenager. They don't fit anywhere."

"Sam does," Brooke told her, shrugging. "It's like she's always been here."

"Does Lucas feel the same way?"

"He does," Brooke told her. "He loves Sam, just like I do."

"I'm glad you guys are so happy," Peyton told her. "Listen, Brooke, I didn't come over to sit…I'm busting you out of here."

"What?" Brooke asked, surprised. "We're going somewhere?"

Peyton nodded. "A girl's day. Hair, makeup, nails, the works."

Brooke smiled widely, clapping her hands. "Seriously?"

Peyton laughed at her friend's excitement. "Seriously."

"And you're getting your hair and stuff done too?"

Peyton nodded. "And Haley is going to meet us there."

Brooke hurriedly got dressed, afraid that Peyton would change her mind. She was getting around better, able to drive, even back to doing light exercises…but everyone still acted like she could break at any moment. Maybe this was the first step of getting back to her old self.

They laughed and joked around on the way to the salon. Peyton told Brooke that she and Jake had hit it off (again) and that she was still in love with him. "And Jenny is so big now!" she told Brooke. "I can't believe how much she's grown."

"I'd love to see her," Brooke said.

"I'm sure we can arrange that," Peyton told her, smiling.

"I'm happy for you, Peyton. Everything seems to be working out."

"I'm happy for all of us," Peyton said, pulling up to the salon. "Our lives are finally our own again."

Brooke followed her into the salon where Haley was waiting. "Hey!" she said, hugging her friend. "Can you believe this? A girl's day! I'm so excited!"

Haley looked at Peyton and smiled, then winked at Brooke. "Excited is an understatement," she told Brooke.

Brooke chatted as she and her friends got manicures and pedicures, seemingly unable to stop talking. She was already feeling much better and it was a beautiful day. As the girl washed and dried her hair, she closed her eyes and smiled. This was exactly what she needed. She felt like a completely different person. Tonight, she'd tell Lucas that they were getting married _soon_ and not take no for an answer. She was tired of waiting; she was his, he was hers. It was time to make it official.

After a few minutes she looked over at her friends. "What are you guys doing to your hair?" she asked them, confused. They looked amazing, but their hair was being styled in ways more suited to a photo shoot than a day in Tree Hill.

"Brooke," Victoria said from the other side of the door and she looked over to see her mother holding the wedding dress she'd designed when she'd been 16 years old.

"What?" she asked, confused. "What is this?"

"It's your wedding day," Karen said from behind Victoria.

"My wedding day?" Brooke asked hoarsely, starting at the dress. "How?..."

"Brooke, you've had your dream wedding planned out since you were five," Peyton told her friend, smiling. She pulled a large book out of the bag beside her, showing it to her. "It's all in here."

"My wedding book," Brooke said, tears welling in her eyes. She looked back at the dress. "My dress."

"I made it myself," Victoria told her. Karen cleared her throat and Victoria sighed. "Well, Karen helped a little."

It was exactly as she'd dreamed it would be. A fitted lace bodice embellished with Swarovski crystals floated to the ground, a sleeve of soft satin wrapping around the bottom of the ball gown and cinching in the front. The embellished lace peeked out of the opening left by the satin, the train a mountain of softly flowing satin. Pearls ran up the back of the dress, starting below the waist. "Mom," Brooke said, her throat working. "It's beautiful."

"It will be once it's on my daughter," Victoria told her.

Brooke looked back at Haley and Peyton. "Today is my wedding day?"

Haley nodded. "Everyone else is at the church, getting ready. When you're done, there's a carriage to take you to the church."

"Did Lucas know about this?"

"It was Lucas's idea," Peyton told her. "He wanted to do it but he was afraid that you'd be upset."

"We knew you'd appreciate the romance of it," Karen told Brooke, smiling as she hugged her.

"Millie and Sam are almost ready," Haley said, looking at her phone. "Millie said that the dresses look amazing and that we should really get a move on."

Brooke looked around at her friends and family, feeling as if her heart was going to burst with happiness and love. "Thank you," she told them, smiling. "All of you."

Haley and Peyton finished their hair and makeup, getting into their bridesmaids dresses; yellow for Haley, blue for Peyton. "They're beautiful, Brooke," Haley told her, kissing her cheek. All the bridesmaids were wearing the same dress, but each in a different color. Brooke's Barbie's had been her bridesmaids when she was growing up, and seeing the dresses on her best friends brought more tears to her eyes.

"No crying," Peyton told her, looking close to tears herself. "Haley and I fought about who was going to be your maid of honor," she said, grinning at Haley. "I let her have it so she could walk down the aisle with her fella."

"Oh, Peyton, you know you're her maid of honor too," Haley told her. "We're your maids of honor," she said, winking at Brooke.

"I love you both so much," Brooke told them, hugging them again.

"We're going on to the church to make sure everything is okay there," Haley told her. "Victoria is going to stay here with you and make sure everything's okay here." She kissed Brooke's cheek, looking into her eyes. "Today my two best friends are getting married. I'm so happy for you both."

Brooke smiled and nodded, afraid to say anything because she knew she'd start crying. The hairdresser finished with her hair and makeup and Victoria helped her get the dress on. "It's perfect," Brooke breathed as she looked into the mirror. Because Lucas loved her hair down, it curled around her face and flowed to the tops of her shoulders. The dress fit perfectly, hugging her body. "How did you manage to get it to fit so well?"

"I measured you when you were sleeping," Victoria said, straightening out the train. She looked up to see Brooke staring at her. "What?"

Brooke laughed, shaking her head. "That's not creepy at all." She looked at her mom. "Will Dad be there?" she asked quietly.

"I sent him an invitation two weeks ago, and I called him two days ago. I don't know if he'll be here or not, though." Brooke nodded. "Millie was in charge of the rest of the invitations."

"Millie would have known who to invite," Brooke said, pleased. "I can't believe this is happening," she admitted. "I feel like I'm going to wake up at any time."

"This isn't a dream," Victoria told her, stepping back. "But you do look like an angel."

"Thanks, mom. For everything."

Victoria smiled. "I do well enough at this mom stuff, don't I?"

"You really do."

Victoria looked like she was going to say something else but shook her head. "Let's not keep your young man waiting," she said.

They got into the carriage and rode slowly to the church. Brooke could only think of Lucas waiting for her. By the time the carriage stopped, she was ready to jump out of it and run into the church. She waved at Haley's sister Quinn, who was taking pictures.

Haley was waiting for them in the lobby of the church. "Brooke, I'm sorry but your dad's not here."

"What will we do?" Brooke asked, frowning. She hadn't expected her father, but she'd hoped he'd come.

"I'm not your father, but I would love nothing more than to walk my daughter down the aisle to the man she loves," Victoria told her.

Brooke looked at her mother and saw sincerity and love in her eyes. "Thank you Mom," she told the other woman, moved.

Haley nodded. "I'll let everyone know," she said. "Peyton has special music planned for the walk to the alter," she told them. "I think you'll like it, though."

Brooke nodded, suddenly nervous. She had no idea how many people there were in the chapel. What if she fell? What if she stepped on her own dress and ripped it? Victoria excused herself for a minute and Brooke started freaking out. She spied a little girl opening a door and followed her. She opened the door to find her bridesmaids. She stopped walking and just looked at them. "You all look amazing," she whispered.

"Brooke, you look beautiful," Millie said, almost crying. "I can't help it," she said when everyone looked at her. "I always cry at weddings."

"You don't even look real," Sam said in awe, touching her wedding dress.

"Sam, you're wearing a dress!" Brooke said, laughing.

Sam smiled and twirled around in her bridesmaid dress. "Do you like it?"

"I love it," Brooke told her. "And red is definitely your color."

Sam stepped closer to her. "I hope it's okay that I'm here," she said.

Brooke hugged the young woman. "I couldn't get married if you weren't."

Sam pulled away and nodded, wiping her eyes as she moved. "Thank you."

"You look like my Barbie," the little girl Brooke had followed into the room said.

"Brooke, you remember Jenny," Peyton said. "She's going to be your flower girl."

"Jenny?" Brooke asked, looking down at the girl. "Hey," she said, smiling. "I bet you don't remember me, do you?"

"Are you one of my daddy's friends from school?"

Brooke nodded, still smiling. "I am."

"My daddy really likes it here," Jenny told her. "I think we're going to move here."

"Well that would be good, right?"

Jenny nodded. "I like it here."

Victoria stepped into the room, Haley behind her. "Okay," she said. "I think it's time to start."

Brooke straightened. "I can't believe this is happening," she whispered. Her friends hugged her, and then stood in line beside the door. Each of them had a bouquet of wildflowers tied with a white ribbon. Haley handed Brooke a larger bouquet of the same thing. "Wildflowers," she said, smiling. "Just like you wanted."

Brooke took them and nodded, closing her eyes. Everything she'd written in her book was coming true. She heard music starting and looked at Peyton. It wasn't the traditional wedding march…it was something else. "We'll see you out there," Peyton told her, smiling as Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years" began to play.

_Heart beats fast_

_Colors and promises_

_How to be brave_

_How can I love when I'm afraid to fall_

_But watching you stand alone_

_All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow_

_One step closer_

One by one, the girls left the room. "Are you ready?" Victoria asked her as Haley left.

Brooke nodded, putting her arm in her mothers. Still nervous, she listened to the lyrics of the song as she walked out of the little room and to the door of the chapel. She heard everyone stand up as they entered, but she had eyes only for Lucas. He stood in the front of the chapel in a black tux, his eyes focused solely on her. She could feel his love fall over her like a blanket. She wasn't scared anymore. This was everything she'd ever wanted.

_I have died everyday waiting for you_

_Darling don't be afraid I have loved you _

_For a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

As they slowly walked down the aisle, Brooke looked at Lucas and remembered the first time she'd ever met him. She'd known from the first moment their eyes had met that she'd never love anyone like she loved him. When they'd separated, she hadn't thought she'd ever be happy again.

_Time stands still_

_Beauty in all she is_

_I will be brave_

_I will not let anything take away_

_What's standing in front of me_

_Every breath_

_Every hour has come to this_

_One step closer_

She took his breath away. Lucas watched Brooke move down the aisle, looking more beautiful than anything he'd ever seen in his life. He couldn't believe she was his. He would never again have to try to forget how it felt to be loved by such an amazing woman or spend nights agonizing over the choices he'd made. He finally had the one thing he couldn't live without.

_I have died everyday waiting for you_

_Darling don't be afraid I have loved you_

_For a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

_And all along I believed I would find you_

_Time has brought your heart to me_

_I have loved you for a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

He'd never thought she'd still love him. He'd thought that he'd lost her. He'd been so afraid to admit what he wanted that he'd almost lost his chance.

_One step closer_

_One step closer_

Brooke remembered to breathe when she put her hand in his. His eyes never left hers as Victoria sat down beside Karen and Dan and she joined him in front of the preacher. She had meant to smile at Nathan and the boys, but she couldn't look away from Lucas. Nothing had ever felt so right.

"You're not mad at me are you?" he asked her with a shy smile.

Brooke shook her head, torn between laughing and crying. She then looked around at the church, seeing familiar faces in the seats, wildflowers on all of the pews and walls. It was beautiful, and everything she'd ever imagined it would be. "This is perfect," she told Lucas, squeezing his hand.

"It will be," he said, smiling as they turned to the preacher.

The ceremony was simple, basic. The same words that had been spoken thousands of times, to thousands of couples, were spoken by the preacher. Brooke knew that others might think she was being old fashioned in wanting the same rote service as everyone else but it comforted her, made her feel safe. She spoke the same words to Lucas that she'd recited to her Ken doll every time they'd gotten married. She would love, honor and cherish this man with all of her heart, in sickness and in health, until death do them part. Looking at Lucas, she knew it was true. She'd loved him since they were kids, and she loved him still. She always would.

"For longer than that," Lucas whispered as he slipped the ring he got from Jamie onto her finger. "Death won't part us."

Brooke smiled, throwing herself into his arms as the preacher announced them husband and wife. Their friends and family stood and clapped, calling out; Lucas was only aware of Brooke. He was kissing his wife, the other half of his heart. Everything else faded away.

Brooke could no longer stop the tears from falling. She laughed as she hugged Lucas; the man of her dreams was finally hers. She knew she was blessed beyond measure. Behind Lucas Nathan, Jake, Mouth and Jack smiled at her. Brooke waved to the boys, then closed her eyes and just held her husband. She finally held her husband.


	28. Chapter 28

"Here," Jake told Peyton, handing her some punch as he sat down beside her. Peyton thanked him and took it, watching the crowd. "They look amazing," he said, nodding towards the newlyweds dancing in the center of the building, Brooke's head on Lucas's shoulder.

"She's so happy," Peyton said, smiling. "I don't think I've ever seen her this happy."

"It looks good on her," Jake said. "It looks good on you, too."

Peyton laughed. "You think I'm happy?"

He looked at her. "Aren't you?"

Peyton thought about it for a moment. Her friends were safe, Quentin was out of the hospital and doing better, Karen and Andy had decided to adopt Jack, Brooke was getting along with Victoria and was finally married to the man she'd always loved. Everything was right in the world. Almost. "I am happy…" she said.

He heard the words she wasn't saying. "But?" Jake asked.

"I'm still in love with you, Jake," she told him. "I don't think I've ever not been in love with you." She looked at him, wide eyed. "I know this probably sounds crazy, and I know we were going to take things slow…but I just needed you to know."

Jake watched her for a moment, making her nervous. "Say something," Peyton pleaded.

"I love you too, Peyton," he told her, his fingers playing with a piece of her hair. "I always have."

Relief flooded through Peyton as she leaned into his arms. "Well then," she said. "I guess you could say I'm happy."

"I'm glad," he told her. "I was afraid that the wedding would be hard on you."

Peyton shook her head. "Look at them, Jake," she said, watching her friends dance. "That's love. I should have seen it all along."

Jake watched as Lucas twirled a laughing Brooke on the dance floor, Lucas's eyes never leaving her face. It was obvious to everyone in the room that they were in love. He looked back at Peyton. "So you're okay with letting him go?"

"I'm okay with letting him go," she said, nodding. "What I'm not okay with is how stupid I acted when I was trying so hard to hold on to him."

"Everything worked out in the end," Lindsay said, sitting beside Peyton.

"I'll be right back," Julian said, kissing Lindsay on the forehead.

Lindsay watched him go, smiling. She turned to Peyton, the smile staying on her face. "Julian and I are going to move to Tree Hill," she told Peyton. "I figure if I'm going to live in Tree Hill, you and I should probably work out our differences."

"I'll give you a few minutes," Jake said, standing.

Peyton watched him go, and then turned to Lindsay. "Lindsay, I'm so sorry," she told the other woman. "I treated you horribly. You didn't deserve it."

"You've already apologized, Peyton, and you're forgiven," Lindsay told her. "I just hope that we can eventually be friends. The Peyton I've heard so much about sounds like a good friend."

Peyton smiled. "I can be," she said, nodding. She looked over to where Julian and Jake were standing. "So you and the movie man?"

Lindsay laughed. "It happened so fast," she said. "I know it's crazy, but it feels so real…I feel like this is my chance." She winked at Julian, and then turned back to Peyton. "And he's not going to be the movie man anymore," she told the other woman.

"He's not doing Luke's movie?"

Lindsay shook her head. "He's going to make it into a television show. He said that there was too much story for one movie and he wasn't willing to leave any of it out." Lindsay shrugged. "And now the show can reflect how things all worked out in the end."

Peyton smiled at Brooke and Lucas. "That's great," she said.

Lindsay nodded. "Lucas has agreed to come on as the writer. I don't think he's told Brooke yet, but I'm sure she'll be ecstatic."

"Brooke Davis Scott, the famous fashion designer and Lucas Scott, the famous writer," Peyton said. "It's perfect."

"What's perfect?" Haley asked, sitting down beside Peyton. Lindsay told her about the show. "You're right," she said. "That is perfect."

"How's Quentin?" Peyton asked her. Nathan and the boy in question were laughing a few tables away.

"He's going to be fine," Haley told them. "It was touch and go for a while, but he plans to be back and better than ever." She laughed. "While he and Brooke were in the hospital they were able to finish Les Miserables. I walked in and they were both crying."

"She's so young, but she seems to mother everyone," Lindsay said.

"She's got a big heart," Peyton told her. She looked at Haley. "Speaking of mothering, what's going on with Sam?"

Haley sighed. "I found her aunt," she said quietly. "I just haven't said anything."

"You found her?" Peyton asked, surprised. She frowned, looking at Brooke. "That will break Brooke's heart."

"I don't know," Haley said. "The woman is dead."

"Oh no," Lindsay said. "Poor Sam."

Peyton watched as Lucas motioned for the young girl to join him and Brooke on the dance floor. The three laughed as they danced together, holding hands. "I have a feeling she's going to be fine," Peyton told her friends.

Haley and Lindsay watched the threesome. "I think you're right," Haley said, smiling.

Peyton frowned. "Oh no," she said, looking around.

"What?" Haley asked.

"All this talk of mothers got me thinking…Where's Victoria?" She looked behind her and groaned. "And where's my dad?"

Lindsay and Haley looked at each other, confused. "Do you think they're toget- _oh_," Haley said, laughing. "Oh dear."

"This is not happening," Peyton said, making a face. Lindsay, who finally understood what Peyton was saying started chuckling, trying to hide it by covering her mouth.

"This is not funny!" Peyton said, eyes wide. She tried to keep a straight face but couldn't hold it. She started laughing, somehow still frowning. "Victoria is probably molesting my dad right now!" They all laughed harder.

"What's so funny?" Brooke asked, joining the group.

"It's so not funny," Peyton said, still laughing. Brooke looked at them all, a confused smile on her face. "Your mom…and my dad…"

"Oh," Brooke said, looking around. "_Oh_!" She made a face, which made the other women laugh even harder.

"You look beautiful, Brooke," Lindsay told her after they'd calmed down. "And so happy."

"Thank you," Brooke said, sitting back in her chair and watching Lucas talk to Andy and Karen. "It's everything I ever wanted." She looked back at Peyton and Haley. "Thank you guys so much for everything you've done."

"You needed some happiness in your life," Haley told her, smiling.

"I definitely have it," Brooke said, smiling back. "Everything was perfect."

"Did you like the song?" Peyton asked her.

"Yes," Brooke said, nodding. "So much."

"I hadn't heard that song," Lindsay said. "It was lovely."

"Hey, Lucas told me the good news about the show," Brooke told the woman. "It sounds like a lot of fun. He mentioned that you guys are needing a wardrobe designer?"

Lindsay nodded, watching her friend. "Know anyone that might be available?"

Brooke grinned widely. "I might," she said.

"Brooke, I was wondering if I could talk to you and Lucas for a minute," Haley told her.

"Sure," Brooke said, standing. She patted the skirt of her dress, smiling. "I don't know that I'll ever take this dress off."

"Oh, I think you will," Lucas said, walking up behind her and putting his arms around her waist.

"Oh yeah?" Brooke said, laughing. "You'll have to be very persuasive." Lucas smiled, leaning down to whisper something into her ear. Brooke gasped, her face turning beet red. "That might work," she told him. She looked at the women at the tables. "We'll be back, girls," she told Peyton and Lindsay.

"What's going on?" Lucas asked as they walked away from the table, following Haley.

They stepped into a small room, Nathan following behind them. "Hey," he said, closing the door.

"Hey," Lucas said, frowning.

"I didn't know whether or not I should say anything…" Haley started.

"I told her you'd both want to know," Nathan said, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Is it about you guys watching Sam while we're on our honeymoon?" Brooke asked them.

"No, no, nothing like that. We're happy to watch Sam while you're gone," Haley told them. She looked at Nathan. "We found her aunt," she told her friends.

"Oh," Brooke said, leaning back into Lucas. "That's great!" she said, trying to smile. Lucas looked down at her, concerned.

Haley shook her head. "She died a few years ago," Nathan told them.

"Oh no," Brooke said, looking up at Lucas.

"So she doesn't have any family left?" Lucas asked Haley and Nathan.

"No," Haley said, shaking her head.

"She has us," Lucas said, looking down at Brooke. His eyes searched hers for a moment before they both smiled.

"We love Sam," Brooke said, looking at their friends. "We want her to stay with us."

"Are you sure?" Nathan asked them. "A teenager is a huge responsibility, especially when you're just starting out."

Brooke looked at Lucas, who nodded. "We're sure."

Haley hugged Brooke. "Thank you," she whispered to her friend.

"It's us that should be thanking you," Brooke told her. "You're the one that introduced us."

"Should we talk to her now or wait?" Lucas asked.

"We'll talk to her before we leave," Brooke told him. "I know she's been really worried about it. There's no point in her worrying if she doesn't have to."

"You guys are braver than I would be," Nathan said, laughing.

"What's new?" Lucas joked.

"I know that I said it in my toast, but I have to say it again," Haley told them. "I'm so happy for you two. Seeing you together and happy…" she shook her head as a tear fell down her face. "It's all I ever wanted."

"Haley," Brooke said, laughing and getting teary eyed. She hugged her friend, Lucas wrapping his arms around both of them.

"What the hell," Nathan said, wrapping his arms around the other three. "I love you guys too."

They all laughed as they left the room, Lucas tugging on Brooke's hand and pulling her back. "What?" she asked him, smiling.

"I love you," he told her, capturing her lips in a searing kiss.

"We can leave right now," she said, breathing hard as they broke apart.

Lucas laughed. "Let's stay for a few more minutes."

Brooke groaned, but nodded. "I didn't get a chance to thank you for all of this," Brooke told him.

"You can thank me later," he told her, grinning. Brooke made a face and he smiled. "You're welcome, Pretty Girl." He touched her stomach lightly. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine," she told him. "I've been fine. Don't worry about me…Husband."

"I like the sound of that," he said, kissing her nose.

"I do too," she said. "It feels right."

"It is right," he told her, tilting her chin up for another light kiss. They walked back into the reception hall holding hands. Brooke talked to her friends and family, Lucas never far from her side. She felt exactly like the princess she'd always imagined she'd be when she was a little girl. She was talking to Karen and Lily when she heard Lucas on the microphone.

"Brooke and I are grateful for everyone being here and taking part in something so special to us," he said. Everyone in the hall stopped talking and turned to listen to him. "We love you all, and we're happy that the greatest day of our lives has been shared with you. Before we leave, there's something I want to read." He pulled the paper out of his pocket, looking at Brooke. She smiled at him as he read:

"Remember tonight, for it is the beginning of always.

A promise. Like a reward for persisting through life so long alone.

A belief in each other and the possibility of love.

A decision to ignore, simply rise above the pain of the past.

A covenant, which at once binds two souls and yet severs prior ties.

A celebration of the chance taken and the challenge that lies ahead.

For two will always be stronger than one, like a team braced against the tempest civil world.

And love will always be the guiding force in our lives. For tonight is mere formality.

Only an announcement to the world of feelings long held. Promises made long ago.

In the sacred spaces of our hearts."

Brooke nodded when he was finished, a tears gathering in her eyes. "Keith," she whispered. This was Lucas's way of remembering Keith on his wedding day; it was the speech he was going to read after Keith's. When Lucas returned to her side, Brooke held him tightly.

"He loved you," Lucas told her.

"I loved him," Brooke responded. She pulled back, looking at him. "And I love you."

They left the reception hall, waving to all of their friends and family (except for Victoria and Larry, who were both still missing). Sam and Jack got into the limo with them; they were going to the house with them, and then drive them to the airport. They'd tell Sam about their decision when they got to the house, and then embark on their life together.

It was going to be amazing; just as it always had been.


	29. Chapter 29

He sat on the beach and watched her run, laughing, into the blue water. She squealed when it hit her legs and ran back towards the beach, only to rush back into the ocean. He remembered how, years before, he'd watched her run into the water and felt his heart almost break because he loved her so much and didn't know if she would ever be his again.

She was his now, and the knowledge of that touched his heart, soothing over the rough places the doubts and worries used to live. Her love had healed him and made him whole again. He watched as she stumbled and fell into the water, then jump up with a shriek. He laughed at the face she made, one of the many faces he planned to spend the rest of his life getting to know.

She'd not only given him her heart, she'd given him a family. They'd go home to a new teenage brother and a new teenage daughter. They'd work together on the new show and continue to do their independent writing and designing on the side. Their friends, their family…they were all there, in Tree Hill. His mother had given them the house they were living in as a wedding present, and he knew he and his new family would be happy there. Because that's what Brooke did…she spread happiness wherever she went. She was his Cheery, the light of his life. And right now she was beckoning to him, asking him to join her.

This time he stood, stripping his shirt off as he walked to the water. He was through sitting on the sidelines of his own life; with the way she always had, Brooke had given him a reason to play. She giggled as he ran towards her and it was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. She ran into his arms and they both went down, the water rushing over them. Brooke looked down into his eyes and smiled, lowering her lips to his.

How had he gotten so lucky?


End file.
